The United States and Iran: A Conversation with Suzanne Maloney
September 14, 2022
On September 14, 2022, Johns Hopkins SAIS hosted its latest discussion on the complicated and historically fraught relationship between the United States and Iran. Dean James Steinberg led the conversation with Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, where her research is focused on Iran and energy issues in the Persian Gulf.
The event was part of the school’s high-profile Dean’s Speaker Series, which feature a diverse array of prominent international affairs practitioners and business leaders for insightful perspectives and thought-provoking discussions on international affairs, leadership, and other relevant topics. Before the discussion event began, Maloney met with participants in the Public Service Fellows & Scholars Program, which provides scholarships for SAIS students aspiring to or already working in public service. Multiple students also had the opportunity to ask questions during the second phase of the event.
Maloney said she was pessimistic about a near-term breakthrough on reviving the Iran nuclear deal, which the Obama administration signed in 2015. The Trump administration pulled out of that deal in 2018 and imposed more crippling sanctions on Iran in a campaign of “maximum pressure.” Maloney said the reimposition of sanctions has been deeply upsetting to the Iranians, and they are now determined to strike a harder bargain and seek additional guarantees in any future agreement. “They never trusted us in the first place,” she stated. “And now they trust us even less.”
Dean James Steinberg led the conversation with Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, where her research is focused on Iran and energy issues in the Persian Gulf.
Maloney, who has authored or edited three books on Iran, also reminded the audience that the revelation of Iran’s undeclared nuclear program occurred 20 years prior—in August 2002. She noted that if the Iranians have been willing to invest 20 years in the program, at the price of painful economic sanctions and many setbacks, they are not likely to give it up. “This is the world in which we live today and we’re going to have to find a way to manage the situation,” she said.
Maloney also drew attention to the evolution of a strategic partnership between Russia and Iran, despite what has historically been a difficult relationship mainly based on hard feelings over territory that Iran had lost to Russia in the 19th century. Despite this, both countries have been staunch supporters of Syria’s President Bashar Assad in that country’s long-running civil war, which began in 2011. As a result, she noted, Iran is making a choice that not many other countries have made—to support the Russian position in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Maloney has advised both Democratic and Republican administrations on Iran policy, including as an external advisor to senior State Department officials during the Obama administration and as a member of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s Policy Planning staff. Earlier in her career, she worked as Middle East advisor for ExxonMobil Corporation, where she was responsible for government relations related to all corporate activities in the region.
Before being named vice president and director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, Maloney served as the deputy director of Foreign Policy for five years. At Brookings, she is a leading voice on U.S. policy toward Iran and the broader Middle East, testifying before Congress, briefing policymakers, and engaging with government, non-profit organizations, and corporations. She is also a frequent commentator in national and international media.