The U.S. and Iran: 'It's a very important moment'

The U.S. and Iran: 'It's a very important moment'

Former ambassadors Eric Edelman and Steve Mull discuss the latest chapter in a long and fraught relationship

Former ambassadors Eric Edelman, a Miller Center senior fellow, and Steve Mull, UVA's vice provost for global affairs, agree that Iran has been waging a "sub-conventional" war against the United States for years. Now, the targeted killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani has created a new crisis. Will the change benefit the U.S. by increasing pressure on the Iranian regime? Or has the action created new risks and greater instability in the region? The two diplomats discussed these questions with the Miller Center's Todd Sechser.

Eric Edelman headshot

Senior Fellow, Miller Center

Eric Edelman

Eric Edelman, the Anne C. Strickler Practitioner Senior Fellow, retired as a career minister from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2009, after having served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense as well as the White House. Edelman served as U.S. ambassador to the Republics of Finland and Turkey in the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations and was principal deputy assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for national security affairs.

Steve Mull headshot

Vice Provost for Global Affairs, University of Virginia

Stephen Mull

Stephen D. Mull is Vice Provost for Global Affairs at the University of Virginia. He served as Lead Coordinator for Iran Nuclear Implementation from August 2015 until August 2017, in which capacity he led U.S. government interagency efforts and diplomacy to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Mull was the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Poland from 2012 until 2015 and U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania from 2003 to 2006.

Todd Sechser headshot

Senior Fellow, Miller Center

Todd Sechser

Todd S. Sechser is the Pamela Feinour Edmonds and Franklin S. Edmonds Jr. Discovery Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia and professor of public policy at the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Sechser's research interests include deterrence, coercive diplomacy, military technology, and nuclear security. He is coauthor of the book Nuclear Weapons and Coercive Diplomacy (Cambridge University Press, 2017).