government with the iranian officials. she's now a senior professor, lecturer at american university in washington. their writing has appeared in "the new york times," politico, foreign policy and washington monthly, among others. they came to us last night from virginia. they took the late night train and stayed here. and what i'd like to do is just turn it over to you for your thoughts and comments to start off. >> well, thank you very much. i'm going to start off for us today. let me start by thanking you for hosting us. it's a real honor and pleasure, and we look forward to an interesting discussion today. i'm going to start with two provocative themes from our new book, "going to tehran: why the united states must come to terms with the islam you can republic of iran." the first of these themes, and these two really get at the heart of our book. the first of these themes is that the united states is today and has been for the past few years a power in relative decline in the middle east. and the second core theme is t

in libya are anti-iranian like saddam hussein's government in iraq. every single government in the middle east is either pro-americans in negotiations to become pro-american or anti-iranian. it pretty good position for the 90s dates in the middle east. but because of election, today governments across the middle east and egypt, tunisia, lebanon, palestine, turkey, iraq are on no longer pro-american or anti-iranian. they are all pursuing at least independent foreign policies, which are by definition much less to see a stick about strategic cooperation with the united states and much more open to the islamic republic of iran. simply put, today relatively speaking the united states is in a profoundly weaker position in the middle east and the sonic republic of iran is in a significantly stronger position. this essentially have been because there is a dramatic shift in the middle east onto power. in our book, "going to tehran," we describe how part of this shift has been as occurring is because of mistakes and american policies in the middle east. but we

the iranian leaders are old men. they didn't get to that age by actually believing in suicide bombing. they didn't carry not one of them carried it against the shah's regime, not one has sent his own son to carry out a suicide regime. yes, of course he is right in the fact that the morality and ethics of this regime are abhorrent and fanatical kids to achieve their objective. there is no evidence that iranian rulers make the calculations on the basis of wishing to expedite their own departure to the next world. [applause]>> let's move on to nuclear proliferation. to do that, over the last week or so, we caught up with a few international policy thinkers to get their reflections on this debate. we will bring them to you in the form of video clips now. the first of these was senator george mitchell, we spoke to in washington dc earlier this week. the former u.s. senate majority leader. he was barack obama's special envoy for middle east peace until 2011. let's listen to that clip. pre-k's thank you. good evening. the d

no iranian ever did me no harm. i never even met an iranian.one in a paris museum: nice dude. >> reporter: the response from iranians poured in. >> people from iran took a picture of themselves and give their own writing: "israel people we don't hate you." i don't even have the words to express how moving it was. i think it's an act of desperation from people to people because the government or prime ministers here in the middle east, the communication is always so aggressive, and so hateful. >> reporter: their effort blossomed online, in demonstrations and on tel aviv buses emblazoned with their message. but their person-to-person campaign doesn't address what some here see as israel's dilemma: if iran's leaders won't agree to halt enrichment and the united states doesn't act should israel strike on its own? the reason it might: as iran expands its program and drives it underground, israel's timeline to attack is much shorter than washington's. >> we do have a very good air force but your air force has more capabilities that we are not possess

no iranian ever did me no harm. i never even met an iranian.t one in a paris museum: nice dude. >> reporter: the response from iranians poured in. >> people from iran took a picture of themselves and give their own writing: "israel people we don't hate you." i don't even have the words to express how moving it was. i think it's an act of desperation from people to people because the government or prime ministers here in the middle east, the communication is always so aggressive, and so hateful. >> reporter: their effort blossomed online, in demonstrations and on tel aviv buses emblazoned with their message. but their person-to-person campaign doesn't address what some here see as israel's dilemma: if iran's leaders won't agree to halt enrichment and the united states doesn't act, should israel strike on its own? the reason it might: as iran expands its program and drives it underground, israel's timeline to attack is much shorter than washington's. >> we do have a very good air force but your air force has more capabilities that we are not poss

during the iranian hostage crises he helped smuggle six americans out of the country. this extraordinary story was dram typessed in the film argo released earlier this year, i am please to do have him at this table to talk about his life as an ambassador and a movie which is lionized a role he plod so thank you for coming. >> thank you. >> rose: tell me about the events and what you saw and what it was like that day. when the iranian students and others stormed the american embassy. >> well quite frankly it didn't come as a great surprise. you may recall the american embassy, u.s. embassy was taken over, ambassador bill souterland was there at the time. but the response was quick. a senior person at the foreign ministry brought some troops and the embassy was cleared in three days. but there was no law and order at the time in tehran. it was still a chaotic revolution restate. there was no judicial process and the embassies looked after themselves. but when the u.s. embassy was taken over, we thought that because of the previous scenario, that it's going to be three or

hopefully the iranian regime will change. hopefully the administration will take diplomatic seriously. or that sanctions really changed the ingraining government's mind and they change course. clocks for diplomacy for sanctions are not synchronized with the clock for building iran's nuclear capabilities. it is possible iran may go on a clear before any of these things take effect. before sanctions produce the results. then we are left with two choices -- we either find a way to contain and deter a nuclear iran or we go to war with them. if the go to war, them have to be prepared for what that war would entail. it may very well be that it will be far more costly. we started sectarian war in the middle east. the shia sunni war was our doing. [applause] it is another war that is equally intolerable. thank you. [applause] >> charles krauthammer, you have three minutes and the final word. >> so many errors, so little time. i will address two points. yes, i believe in every word i wrote in 1984 dealing with the u.s. and the soviet

with 30 years on, the revolution is faltering, and many iranians are disillusioned. >> the people look around, they see the poverty, they see the discontent. they're not happy, and so they have questions. well, why isn't it working out? we're doing it the islamic way; why isn't our country great? so they are ripe to hear a new way. >> reporter: and the new way many are embracing is christianity. but the faith is not new to iran. the gospel actually arrived here 500 years before islam. persians are believed to have been among those at jerusalem durinin pentetecost. there werere nearlrl fouour tims as many christians before the revolution. many fled the country because of islamic extremism. some who remained, often share their faith with muslims. as a result, the evangelical house movement is now growing rapidly. ♪ the most important thing i can do today is praise him ♪ >> reporter: christian praise songs blast from the radio of this iranian taxicab. despite risk of arrest and possible death for a apostasy, he is unafraid to share his faith. a cross hangs from his rear-view mirror, and h

analyst and expert of american studies professor iranian leadership has never denied that if there's a foreign intervention in syria it could even gauge into a war to protect its allies is a scenario becoming more realistic. the iranians have not said that they would engage in war but i think that they would look at the situation and respond in what they deem to be an appropriate manner in other words if iran is say the israelis are going to face serious consequences the iranians have many means to hurt the israelis and to punish the israelis it doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be involved directly they could. support countries or bodies that could could make life for israelis more difficult so there are many we means in which the iranians can support the syrian people the syrian government and it's for more aggression against the syrian state and the syrian people and syrian sovereignty. if the airstrike really took place what was its purpose and did it have anything to do with iran. well at this stage it's very difficult to say but i think what is important is that the un

follow not only do they create anger among ordinary iranians and the iranians see their behavior towards their country as it. is but people in the region and beyond see what the united states and the europeans are trying to do so the image of the united states and europe is that has been severely damaged but iran's image has also been damaged when recent poll shows iran touch the least as the country with the most negative image popular stereotypes include doesn't your i'm really just fanatics. in britain and many outlets in the united states want to create an image of a villain from not only the iranian government but also the iranian people iran has been under sanctions for decades but it's only following the latest round the country's economy has been a visibly shaking and it would have some people in iran they now think it's down to the authorities mismanagement the majority still the u.s. and western responsible for this painting behind me have been here for years and as the supreme was quoted here suggests well look with america even for a moment the tension it's represents will mo

analyst and expert of american studies professor iranian leadership has never denied that if there's a foreign intervention in syria it could even gauge into a war to protect its allies is a scenario becoming more realistic. the iranians have not said that they would engage in war but i think that they would look at the situation and respond in what they deem to be an appropriate manner in other words if the iranians say the israelis are going to face serious consequences the iranians have many means to hurt the israelis to punish the israelis it doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be involved directly they could. support countries or bodies that could could make life for israelis more difficult so there are many ways means in which the iranians can support the syrian people the syrian government and its her more aggression against the syrian state and the syrian people and syrian sovereignty. if the airstrike really took place what was its purpose and did it have anything to do with iran. well at this stage it's very difficult to say but i think what is important is that the

syrian rebels agreed to free 48 iranian nationals who were captured last august in damascus. an ambassador and a representative were at the hotel in damascus to meet the hostages. in return, the syrian government agreed to free over 2000 syrian prisoners, including more than 70 women. syrian opposition fighters insist that the iranians are members of the powerful revolutionary guard. they accused him of spying for the syrian government and helping with the crackdown on dissent. last august, rebels released a video showing iranian military identification cards that they said were taken from the prisoners. i humanitarian relief foundation said nationals were among those that were free. >> syria agreed to release 2100 prisoners. we hope that many innocent victims will be released and rescued as soon as possible. we should appreciate this initiative. >> the syrian opposition considers the iranian hostage is a major marketing ship. the prisoner exchange took place just days after assad promised to continue fighting the rebels. it is seen as an indication that the syrian government

the iranian-american who pleaded guilty in that case said he'd worked with iranian military people to formulate the plot. in the wake of that, king called for strong retaliation against iranian diplomats in the u.s. >> we, to me, should get rid of either all of them or most of them and send a clear signal. >> reporter: iranian officials denied any role in trying to assassinate the saudi ambassador in washington. we called and e-mailed iran's mission to the u.n. for comment on the latest report on the country's intelligence operations. we got no response. brian todd, cnn, washington. >>> and still to come, shocking allegations of rape in ohio. a video posted to the web of someone joking about the alleged attack has led to two arrests. >>> and russian president vladimir putin continues his quest for power. you won't believe what we saw today. who do you think i am, quicken loans? ♪ at quicken loans, we won't make you wait for it. our efficient, online system allows us to get you through your home loan process fast. which means you'll never have to beg for a quick closing. one more way q

as you recall the iranian hostage crisis in 1979. group stormed the american embassy in tehran at the height of the iranian revolution, and americans were held hostage for 44 days. in 2007, robert levinson, an american private investigator disappeared on an iranian island. and iranians deny knowledge of what happened to him, but some say they're behind the disappearance. in 2009 regime sentenced roxanna savari to prison, and she went on hunger strike and eventually released. also that same year, three american hikers were arrested near the border with iraq, and charged with espionage. one of the prisoners freed in 2010, the other two released in 2011 after their families paid a million dollars. coming up inside the fox report, the attorney for pastor abedini's family will join us here live at the bottom of the hour. well, a lot of reaction, new reaction on this sunday after the pentagon lifted the ban on women in combat. defense secretary leon pa net making that announcement last week opening up thousands of front lines and potential

>> iranians are not on the verge of making a deal.n you actually look at their statement they think they hold the stronger hand of cards. what i do think iranians are trying to do,however, is increase the price of oil because even if they sell it at a discount, if the price of oil goes up, then they get more money to subsidize their economy and their economy isn't a very structured economy. adam: that's the key. their economy is in a shambles, is it not? is that part of why they're essentially what we would say in the vernacular gone ballistic? they're trying to get the world's attention, ahmadinejad, their administration are they not teetering? i don't know if they have protest in the streets because we're not seeing that coverage but the economy is in a shambles. >> the economy is in a shambles but remember this two things. first the revolutionary guard more or less dominates the economy. they dominate the military and also dominate iran's own oil investments. since ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 they have had 35 to $ billion wor

that everything by the way that the iraqis to is for the benefit of the iranians. a lot of times it is for their own self-interest. so it has a large oil reserves, they are now outstripping the iranians. >> host: are the expected to continue to grow? >> guest: they are growing. >> host: >> guest: the need a lot of improvements because the infrastructure when i first got there in 2003 and i went around some of the military in the fields and first we thought the infrastructure had been sabotaged but later it became clear it was just antiquated old and decrepit so it takes some investment, but there is a lot of tension with iraq between the kurds who have their own substantial resources and dominant bear population to divvy up the proceeds, and that's become a problem in returning the development of some of the energy production. also it's another factor that makes the system it volatile. >> host: do you think the u.s. every experience is directly related to the u.s. hesitation on syria? are we finished policing the world? >> guest: it's a good question and i think th

it's called dramatic license. >> reporter: and the iranians are no stranger to dramatic license.igent minister cartoon showing john mccain in the white house trying to stir pan iranian revolution. they understand bending the truth. do they think that affleck was mocking their president but looking like him? i'm being silly. the problem is that history is usual written and movies usually made by the victor. but what happened in 1979 when the americans stormed the embassy that still ain't over. the iranians take this too seriously. >> for the american movie telling a story from an american point of view. >> a real movie "argo" about a fake movie "argo" is being remade because the iranians say the real movie about the fake movie isn't true. you couldn't make this stuff up. actually you could. it would be a great movie. i'm nick watt for "nightline" in hollywood. >> you can teach a rhesus monkey to be a director. >>> this morning robin roberts appeared on good morning america to share exciting news. >> i can begin the process of returning to the anchor chair. i'm coming

the iranian leaders are old men. they didn't get to that age by actually believing in suicide bombing. they didn't -- laws they didn't carry -- [applause] not one of them carried it against the regime, not one of them has sent his own sons to carry out the suicide regimes. yes, of course yadlin is right in the terms that the morality of this regime is abhorrent and they use poor, uneducated fanatical kids to achieve their strategical objectives but there is no evidence that iranian rulers actually make their calculations on the basis of wishing to expedite their own departure to the next world. [applause] >> let's move on to the theme of nuclear proliferation. because it's a key one. and to do that, over the last week or so we caught up with a few international policy thinkers to get their reflections on this debate and we're going to bring them to you in the form of video clips now. the first of these was senator george mill mitchell who we spoke to in washington, d.c., earlier this week. he's the former u.s. senate

the iranians have their own elections coming up in june. the americans and others have so demonized the iranians that even if we got to a deal which is credible, which is highly unlikely, our ability to sell it internally and externally would be very, very difficult. but when we ask, can we live with an iranian nuclear weapon? hey, you call this living? this is the question. it's not really living, but we're going to deal with it. i think that's where we're headed. >> no strike, no deal? would you agree? >> but the chances of a strike are not negligible. i would say they're around 30 or 40% because we can't live with a nuclear weapon and israel and the united states may not be able to live with something that close to it. >> i think the chances of a strike are over 50% and because i think that is true, i think the chances of a deal are higher than ian does because i think the iranians will know that and there are an awful lot of reasons domestically in terms of the falling apart of the iranian economy that means they are looking for a way t

>> 48 iranians held hostage by syrian rebels set free with a swap deal. lo, this is al jazeera live from doha. also, the -- poverty in europe. what it is like to live on the edge of an economic powerhouse. india summons pakistan's top diplomat over the killing of two of its soldiers. the soap opera that was pulled off the air in thailand. was it too violent or just to political? >> morning and 2000 prisoners are to be released by the syrian government in exchange for 48 iranian hostages. the iranian men were kidnapped in august by rebel forces, and they delivered an ultimatum october saying they would kill the hostages if syrian prisoners were not released. the swap was brokered by a turkish charity. for more let's bring in hashem, joining us near the border with syria. what do we know on the swap deal? >> the main charity, the humanitarian based assistance that broker the deal, they said the prisoner swap is under way. 48 iranians were released on the outskirts of the capital and 2100 syrians are to be released in different areas. damascus, homs, hana --

iranians may be examining what the u.s. is doing to see how it works in a case like this. >> shep: he was a private investigator at the time. maybe somebody wants to get information from them? >> that hasn't been fielded as a reason. remember all of this is murky. presumption that iranian agents, he was taken in kish but that is not a reason he had some kind of secret information. his liability in this particular case was being an american. >> shep: john bussey, thank you. >> insurance giant aig have decided they will not sue us for bailing them out when the economy crashed. did you hear this yesterday? we gave them $180 billion and the shareholders are suing us and they still are. and new information about the guy who won the lottery and dropped dead. the police investigation, first they said, ah, he died of natural causes the day after he hit a million dollar scratch-off jackpot. then they found the cyanide which complicated the original theory. she's still the one for you - you know it even after all these years. but you

year, and, also, iraq has been less aligned with american interests and more aligned with actually iranian interests in as far as the serian conflict is concerned. >> host: phone lines open now so feel free. democrats 202-585-3880, and independents, 202-585-3882. let us know if you received in iraq as well, and your thoughts on what's happening now. phone lines open. i want to go back to the political situation in iraq. talk about prime minister nuri al maliki and what his role is today in iraq before the segment started. you said he's not saddam hussein. >> right, he's not saddam hussein in the fact that saddam was an extremely brutal dictator who killed tens of thousands, used chemical weapons against his own population to maintain hold on power. he's nothing like that; however, he does appear to be an articrat in the making. what's happening in iraq now is a political crisis, but you wouldn't know from the news coverage. the media basically abandoned iraq. he's been cracking down on a lot of the political opponents, and just a week ago, he did something in our system that would be extra

why do they suspect the iranian government?well, shepard, no one has claimed responsibility for levinson's disappearance but u.s. investigators tell the associated press based on the auto males containing those photos sent to levinson's family they believe iran is behind levinson's abduction. the sender did not leave behind a trail suggesting this was the work of professionals such as iran's intelligence service. levinson's wife says while the fbi is doing all it can a k. to find her husband she released the photos to prompt further action. >> i feel that there needs to be more pressure on iran on a daily basis. and unfortunately, it's hard to do that through the diplomatic channels. they take a long time. levinson's wife says spoken to president obama to do whatever they can it win husband's release. shepard? the iranians saying anything about. this repeatedly said nothing to do with disappearance. iranian officials even told investigators they had searched a remote mountainous region and conducted several raids turned up noth

is that we have these sanctions that are now so broad they're not hitting the iranian government per se they're hitting ordinary people and iranians they don't you know in two thousand they had a election where you know the votes were raw they are they're not making the decisions that for the iranian government and yet they're the ones who are being punished they're the ones who now because of these sanctions there are unable to get cancer medicine or hemophilia treatments and there are a lot of folks here in the u.s. who actually think that's the best way to go they say that this is not an unintended consequence this is not. collateral damage this is actually the intent because if we can punish iranians enough they're somehow going to be more inclined to try to topple their overthrow that's absurd and we saw this with iraq we saw you know five hundred thousand children die as a result of our sanctions i mean what what in that happening we went to the right so i think the track record is pretty poor and it's pretty ominous that we're starting to see these humanitarian ramifications f