US Seeks to Negotiate a Broad Treaty With Iran

US special envoy promises more sanctions until Iran agrees to talk

Speaking Wednesday at the Hudson Institute, US special envoy for Iran Brian Hook says that the US goal is to negotiate a major treaty with Iran covering a wide variety of issues, including its missile program and its “regional behavior.

Hook conceded that Iran has repeatedly said they are not interested in negotiations because they consider the US pulling out of the P5+1 nuclear deal as proof they’re acting in bad faith. To that, Hook said that the US would impose more sanctions until they get what they want.

Hook also argued that the negotiations the US seeks now would be a proper, real treaty, instead of a “personal agreement between two governments like the last one,” which appears to mean the US would actually honor this one.

The timing of the comments, just a week ahead of the UN General Assembly, may suggest the US is trying to get negotiations going on the sideline of the meeting. Iran, however, has shown little interest in negotiations, and with the US having asked them several times over the past months, they likely don’t feel any serious pressure to accept talks quickly.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.