Dina Esfandiary: Will Iran Make a Deal with Trump?

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dina Esfandiary, the Middle East Geoeconomics Lead at Bloomberg. Previously, Dr. Esfandiary served as a senior adviser for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group and was a fellow at The Century Foundation. Her research focuses on security in the Persian Gulf and Iran’s foreign relations. Together, they discuss why the United States and Iran are negotiating again, how Tehran’s position has changed since 2015, and the different strategies both countries are likely to pursue at the negotiating table. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Ninar Fawal and Will Todman to discuss how regional and international actors are responding to the ongoing nuclear talks.

• Transcript: "⁠Dina Esfandiary: Will Iran Make a Deal with Trump?⁠," CSIS, May 1, 2025.
• Dr. Esfandiary's latest work: available via Bloomberg Terminal.