Professor of Middle East History, George Mason University
Professor of Middle East History at George Mason University and author of The Reign of the Ayatollahs: Iran and the Islamic Revolution; husband of Haleh Esfandiari, an American citizen and the director of the Middle Eastern program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars who was recently imprisoned in Iran
Iran and the U.S.; Nuclear Enrichment and Government Crackdown For the first time in twenty eight years, the United States sat down to official talks with Iran. The subject was the war in Iraq. Both countries agreed they shared a common goal of a stable Iraq, but there were many issues that weren’t on the table at the meeting including Iran’s continued defiance of the international community with its nuclear program. There is also the question of U.S.-Iranian citizens who have been detained during visits to their home country and were charged with espionage today. What is Iran’s agenda in the region, and how should the U.S. respond?
The US and Iran Finally Talk about Iraq After nearly three decades of formal silence, representatives from the US and Iran met in Baghdad yesterday and agreed on the need for a stable Iraq. There were many issues that were not on the table, including Iran's continued defiance of the international community with its nuclear program. There is also the question of US-Iranian citizens who have been detained during visits to their home country and were today charged with espionage . Guest host Sara Terry explores Iran's agenda in the Middle East and US response to it.
Former Iranian President to Visit US Despite growing tension with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Bush Administration has issued a visa to former President Mohammad Khatami . Though he no longer speaks for Iran, Khatami's two-week visit will demonstrate America's tradition of free speech--which does not exist in Iran itself. How long will he be here? Who will he see? What's the reaction of Iranians who fled their country to live in the US? Shaul Bakhash is a former journalist who left Iran in 1980.
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.