Told @NYT: The Iranians measure the timeline in months for themselves, and in weeks for the Trump administration and the global economy. They think Trump can’t tolerate the strait remaining closed for another few weeks.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/w...
Told @FT: Pakistan’s whole-of-the-system approach to mediation helps with creating consensus in Iran, but their inexperience means they rarely come up with creative ideas and their close ties to Iran’s adversaries makes Tehran suspicious.
www.ft.com/content/eb22...
Told @WSJ: The mixed messaging from Tehran on the status of the Strait is more a reflection of a truly incongruous U.S. stance than infighting in Tehran.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Tracking US-Iran talks for better part of two decades: Breakthroughs aren't irreversible, stalemates aren't unbreakable, each side thinks it's reasonable and the other isn't, nothing is agreed until everything agreed, and if you get that far you still need implementation.
Told @WSJ: They Iranians drive a hard bargain but often fail at demonstrating flexibility when they must. And that results in squandering more opportunities than gaining ground in negotiations.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Spoke to @carolynbeeler - @theworld about the fragile two-week ceasefire brokered between the US and Iran.
theworld.org/segments/202...
Spoke to @France24_en about the reconfiguration of power within Iran. www.france24.com/en/pakistani...
Told @nytimes: Tehran was now likely to double down on its support for Hezbollah, long a central pillar of its regional strategy, making a quick end to the fighting in Lebanon unlikely. This is a game of endurance.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/w...
Told @CNN: Given the degree of regime paranoia, the repression is going to be much harsher than was the case in the past. This is a wounded regime, and if it survives, it is not going to give an inch to its population, at least not anytime soon.
edition.cnn.com/2026/04/03/m...
Told @Reuters: Tehran understands its ability to drive world energy markets through its chokehold on the strait is much more potent than even a nuclear weapon.
www.reuters.com/world/middle...
As the #Iran war stretches into a second month, a campaign that may have started with hopes of quick and decisive wins now leaves the U.S. has three options: Escalation, degradation, and negotiation.
My latest for @nytopinion 👇
tinyurl.com/hexfnyje
Dans @lemondefr: Avec Khamenei, on a aussi tué la fatwa contre l’arme nucléaire.
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
Told @nytimes that the regime has been turning out its supporters in public squares throughout the country. Those crowds are actually growing bigger and bigger. Many Iranians who dislike their rulers have come to oppose the war.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/o...
Told @WSJ: “The question at the heart of this war was never whether Iran could be wounded. It was whether coercion would produce capitulation. It hasn’t.”
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
It was a pleasure to join @RaviReports to discuss Iran's evolving war strategy and the Islamic Republic's internal dynamics.
foreignpolicy.com/live/ali-vae...
Spoke to @FRANCE24 about how military escalation risks triggering systemic regional and global consequences, while diplomatic pathways remain constrained by deep mistrust, asymmetrical expectations, and the absence of credible guarantees.
www.france24.com/en/as-us-pur...
The US & Israel hold escalation dominance in the Iran war. But Tehran seeks to shift a contest of firepower into test of endurance, wearing out defenses, raising costs & leveraging geography into bargaining power. W/ @ProfessorPape in @ForeignPolicy 👇
tinyurl.com/2tkbk4kp
Told @WSJ: That system [of patronage] will make it very hard to convince those who profit from it to turn against the regime. Millions of people get benefits from their loyalty to the regime. They don’t want to lose them.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Told @NBCNews: The U.S. and Israel are fighting a war aimed at weakening Iran, while Iran is fighting a war to survive.
www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/o...
Dans @lemondefr: Il est très peu probable que l’Iran accepte une réunion de haut niveau sans que les Etats-Unis ne fassent au préalable une concession majeure en sa faveur.
Spoke to @IChotiner @NewYorker about what concessions Iran would want in any negotiations to end the war, whether the U.S. and Israel have the same objectives in Iran, and why an off-ramp - let alone a permanent peace - may be so hard to find.
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Told @WSJ: Ghalibaf has proven to be a cautious man in the past. If he is to become Iran’s Delcy Rodríguez, he has to alienate some other members of the Revolutionary Guard who might seek to constrain him.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
I'll join @ForeignPolicy's @RaviReports on Mon to discuss the one-month record of the Iran War and the path ahead.
foreignpolicy.com/live/ali-vae...
Told @Politico that the Trump administration has been exchanging messages indirectly with Iran through the governments of Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan.
www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
Told @WSJ: @araghchi has always been an implementer. Not somebody who was used to shaping policy.
Told @FT: When it comes to the Strait, these are less ad hoc reactions than longstanding playbooks Tehran has kept on the shelf for roughly 40 years.
 giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
I told @amanpour that the Iranian leadership is nowhere near the brink of collapse.
www.cnn.com/2026/03/19/t...
