The U.S. and Iran: A Breakthrough Moment?

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No election in Asia this year has generated more attention around the globe than the vote that brought Hassan Rouhani to power in Iran. In his address to Asia Society this fall, President Rouhani said that, “moderation and wisdom will guide [his] government in making and implementing policies in every field.” Now we have the first manifestations of change: the initial nuclear agreement reached in Geneva, and the first public, high-level U.S.-Iran negotiations in more than 30 years. Will the first-stage accord hold? Will it lead to a more comprehensive and lasting deal? And how long will the so-called window of hope remain open? Join former U.S. nuclear negotiator Robert Einhorn, former Iranian nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian, and former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas R. Pickering for a “Beyond-the-Headlines” look at this critical moment in U.S.-Iran relations. Journalist George Stephanopoulos will moderate the discussion.

Robert Einhorn is a Senior Fellow with the Arms Control Initiative at the Brookings Institution. During his career at the U.S. Department of State, he served as Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation during the Clinton administration and as the Secretary of State’s Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control during the Obama administration.

Hossein Mousavian served as Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator (2003-05), head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran's National Security Council (1997-2005), and Iran’s Ambassador to Germany (1990-97). Currently a Visiting Research Scholar at Princeton University, he is the author of The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: A Memoir (Brookings Institution Press).

Thomas R. Pickering served as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, India, Israel, El Salvador, Nigeria, Jordan, and the United Nations. Most recently, he was appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to lead the Accountability Review Board probing the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

George Stephanopoulos (moderator) is the chief political correspondent for ABC News, anchor of "This Week" and co-anchor of Good Morning America. He served as a Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy for President Bill Clinton.