Contributor
Kenneth Katzman is senior fellow at the Soufan Center and a senior advisor at the Global Insights Group. He left government service in 2022 after serving for 30 years as a senior analyst on Iran and the Gulf at the Congressional Research Service, which conducts research and analysis for the U.S. Congress. During that time, he testified before various congressional committees more than a dozen times and briefed Members of Congress on policy options toward the region on numerous occasions, including during several congressional delegations. He has served on several think-tank working groups developing options and recommendations for U.S. policymakers on issues in his area of expertise.
The relative failure of Iranian missile strikes has significantly eroded the value of Tehran’s enormous investment in its missile and drone technology and raised serious questions among Iran’s regional allies about the ability of Tehran to come to their defense.
Reopening the U.S. financial system to Iran might be one incentive to offer Tehran in possible follow-on talks, subsequent to a restoration of the JCPOA. Yet, even if offered, this sanctions relief might be difficult to put into practice.
The diplomatic deadlock between the United States and Iran places the burden for preventing conflict on the European countries and some of the other trading partners of Iran.
