Dear Friend,

Happy new year from everyone at the American Iranian Council. We wish you a 2022 filled with joy.

For those of us at AIC who have been working in US-Iran relations over the past three decades, it would be easy to become inured to the constant whiplash of hope and fear permeating US and Iran relations. Since 1979 the two countries have oscillated between periods of hostility and those of cautious diplomatic overtures.

As we begin the new year, we find ourselves again in a difficult period as negotiations to bring the US and Iran back into compliance with the JCPOA continue with slow progress. President Raisi of Iran has particularly expressed concern about the US' willingness to adhere to the terms of any deal beyond President Biden's presidency.