Negotiating Tensions: The US-Iran Diplomacy

When news alerts went out that the US sent missiles to bomb Iranian nuclear sites, debates began about how deeply the US would continue to wade into the conflict between Israel and Iran. After days of panic, President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two countries. But it was Trump himself who, in his first term, stopped US efforts to limit Iran’s nuclear program. Robert Malley was the lead negotiator of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal under then-President Barack Obama. To give context to the latest developments in the region, Malley joins WITHpod to talk about the the 2015 deal and its unraveling under Trump’s first administration. Malley is also a lecturer at Yale University and the co-author of the upcoming book, “Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine.” This conversation was recorded June 25, 2025.