The United States and Iran: Decades of Misunderstanding?
A Crown Seminar with Barbara Leaf and Vali Nasr
Thursday, October 30
Watch the recording of this event on our YouTube channel.
In June 2025, the United States and Iran entered their most direct confrontation in decades—crossing red lines and exposing the dangers of misreading one another’s intentions. On the occasion of the publication of Vali Nasr’s latest book Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History, Nasr and Barbara Leaf, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador to the UAE, had a special conversation moderated by Gary Samore about how Washington and Tehran understand—and misunderstand—each other, and where U.S.–Iran relations might go next.
Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
Barbara A. Leaf is a Senior International Policy Advisor for Arnold & Porter, and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
Gary Samore is Crown Family Director and Professor of the Practice of Politics at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies.