Three leading experts on US policy toward Iran will be joined by two former US ambassadors, including a former Iranian hostage, in a panel discussion to consider the future of the US-Iran relationship on Tues., Oct. 29.

“The Future of US Policy toward Iran” to Feature Fmr. Ambassadors & Fmr. CIA Analyst Oct. 29
Three leading experts on US policy toward Iran will be joined by two former US ambassadors, including a former Iranian hostage, John Limbert, above, in a panel discussion to consider the future of the US-Iran relationship on Tues., Oct. 29, 6 p.m. at New York University’s Jurow Hall, Silver Center for Arts and Science.

The panelists will include: Flynt Leverett, professor of international affairs, Pennsylvania State University School of International Affairs; Hillary Mann Leverett, senior professorial lecturer, American University School of International Service; Ambassador John Limbert, former US deputy assistant secretary of state for Iran and currently professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy; Ambassador William Luers, former US ambassador and director of the Iran Project; and Mohiaddin Mesbahi, professor of politics and international relations, Florida International University. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Mustapha Tlili, founder and director of the NYU Center for Dialogues: Islamic World – U.S. – The West, the sponsor of the event.

Reporters wishing to attend must RSVP to aubrey@centerfordialogues.org or 212.998.8693. Subways: N, R (8 St – NYU), 6 (Astor Place), A, B, C, D, E, F, M (West 4th Street).

Flynt Leverett is a former CIA senior analyst who served as the senior director for Middle East affairs on the National Security Council. Hillary Mann Leverett has served in the U.S. Foreign Service and was the director for Iran, Afghanistan, and Persian Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council. The Leveretts recently published a book exploring the US relationship with Iran, “Going to Tehran: Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic”.

Limbert is a veteran member of the US Foreign Service, including his role as the deputy assistant secretary of state for Iran and as an official at the US Embassy in Iran, where he was held during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979. Since 2010, he has been a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the US Naval Academy.

Luers is a former US ambassador to Venezuela and Czechoslovakia who now heads the Iran Project, which researches US policy options toward Iran. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Mesbahi is an expert on politics and international relationship with a special focus on Iran. He recently published a paper exploring the US-Iran relationship, “Trust and US-Iran Relations: Between the Prisoners’ Dilemma and the Assurance Game”.

Editor’s Note:
New York University’s Center for Dialogues: Islamic World-U.S.-The West emerged from the tragedy of September 11th, which highlighted the need for greater communication among and about the United States, Europe, and the Muslim world. The Center was founded as a forum for constructive debate among the various religious, intellectual, economic, and political sectors of American, European, and Islamic societies. It brings contentious issues between the Islamic world and the West into a more rational plane and promotes this approach to a wide audience, including important constituencies of policy and decision-makers, policy analysts, the media, and educational institutions. For more information, go to www.centerfordialogues.org.


Press Contact

James Devitt
James Devitt
(212) 998-6808