This Week: The sticking point in a potential U.S.-Iran deal
FP’s Amelia Lester<newsletters@foreignpolicy.com>
A staff member removes the Iranian flag from the stage during Iran nuclear talks in Vienna on July 14, 2015. Carlos Barria/AFP via Getty Images |
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U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled that the United States is getting closer to a deal to end the war in Iran—even as tensions remain very high. Chances are the sticking point is Tehran’s nuclear program. Over the weekend, Iranian officials told reporters that they hoped to kick the nuclear football down the road, deferring a decision about Iran’s highly enriched uranium until after striking an initial agreement with the United States. Then, U.S. sources stirred confusion by saying they had already convinced Tehran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium. Of course, the question of domestic enrichment was resolved years ago under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed under U.S. President Barack Obama and discarded during Trump’s first term. Is a hypothetical world in which the JCPOA remains in place, with about four years left until the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear work end, better than the present reality? FP columnist Steven A. Cook probes “one of Washington’s most contentious counterfactuals” and finds that the answer may be more complicated than it seems. As for this timeline, though, a negotiated outcome need not be zero-sum, Sina Azodi argues, offering some potential pathways toward a U.S.-Iran deal.—Amelia Lester, deputy editor |
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- Quad goals. The leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad, haven’t met since 2024. But the foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan, and the United States convened in New Delhi on Tuesday. In FP, Derek Grossman argues that Trump has degraded the Quad’s geostrategic value, while Sarang Shidore makes the case that the Philippines has replaced India in U.S. security calculus on China.
- Xi in Pyongyang. Reports indicate that Chinese President Xi Jinping is preparing to visit North Korea in the coming days. If confirmed, the visit would be only Xi’s second to Pyongyang and his first in seven years. Read FP’s Rishi Iyengar on why China is nervous about North Korea’s increasing closeness with Russia—and what is behind Xi’s current flurry of diplomacy.
- One man, one vote. A series of Supreme Court decisions, as well as legislation decisions in red states, have expanded voting restrictions and are leading to a dangerous acceleration of redistricting wars, FP’s Julian Zelizer argues in his latest column. As U.S. midterm elections draw closer, Zelizer explains the significance of last month’s Louisiana v. Callais decision for representative democracy across the United States.
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Poll: Do you believe that the U.S. and Iran are on the precipice of ending the conflict? |
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Surviving a World Without Rules
On Demand on May 27 | 11 a.m. EDT
If the rules-based order has been ruptured, what comes after? “Global un-order,” says Mark Leonard in his new book, Surviving Chaos: Geopolitics When the Rules Fail. Are states responding quickly enough to this new world? Leonard distinguishes between “architects” such as the United States and Europe, which try to reimpose their established blueprints, and “artisans” such as China, which adapt and repurpose what already exists. Leonard will join FP Live’s Ravi Agrawal to explore how Western policymakers should adjust to the new un-order. Register ahead of the conversation. The Trump-Xi Summit
On Demand
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to great fanfare but left with little to show for it. What does the Trump-Xi summit reveal about the balance of power between the world’s two biggest economies? China scholar Rana Mitter will join FP Live’s Ravi Agrawal to debrief on what was gained from this diplomatic mission. Watch on demand or read the edited transcript. |
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| By William M. LeoGrande, Peter Kornbluh |
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- ⚽ FP’s Sports Diplomacy Summit: As North America prepares to host the FIFA World Cup, sports are becoming an increasingly powerful tool of diplomacy, economic strategy, and global influence. On June 3 in Washington, D.C., Foreign Policy will convene the Sports Diplomacy Summit—bringing together leaders from government, business, and the playing field to explore how athletics are shaping international cooperation and geopolitical competition. Request an invitation.
- 🇹🇼 The Economy of Taiwan: Taiwan runs a huge trade surplus, in part due to its chip manufacturing industry. In this week’s Ones and Tooze, Adam and Cameron discuss how the surplus affects Taiwan and other issues related to its economy. Listen on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
- 🎧 World’s Toughest Job: Introducing FP’s newest podcast! The United Nations secretary-general has been said to hold the “most impossible job in the world.” And for just the 10th time in the organization’s history, a new candidate will soon be stepping into that role. Through immersive storytelling and voices from around the globe, World’s Toughest Job explores the challenges facing the next U.N. leader. World’s Toughest Job is a co-production of Foreign Policy and the U.N. Foundation. Listen to the first episode on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.
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