Tehran’s Pragmatists Are Still Open to Diplomacy
Iran is pursuing its national interests rationally—and that is the United States’ best hope. Recognizing the Islamic Republic’s rationality and trying to engage it is probably good politics for Vance.
Eldar Mamedov, member of the Pugwash Conferences on Science & World Affairs and Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Originally published by The American Conservative, September 9, 2026
As the Iran war grinds on, VP J.D. Vance may have a chance to carve out a distinctive legacy — not as the administration’s loudest hawk, but as the one pushing for a genuine diplomatic off-ramp. With signs that Tehran’s pragmatist faction is more open to engagement than assumed, Vance could be positioned to lead on regional diplomacy where others in the administration can’t.
Read the full piece at The American Conservative.
