The Day after Soleimani: Are the U.S. and Iran Headed to War?

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

12:00pm – 1:30pm

Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite IRGC Quds military force and one of the most powerful figures in the Islamic Republic, was killed last Friday in an airstrike in Baghdad conducted by the U.S. While many argue that the tensions will rise and lead to war, the Trump administration has said that the operation was to prevent imminent threat posed to U.S. citizens in the region. The U.S. pullout of the nuclear deal, the ongoing maximum pressure campaign, and the strike against Soleimani in Iraq all increase the likelihood of heightened tensions in the region. What does such an attack on a high-profile Iranian mean for Iran’s regional posture? Is a full-blown war between the U.S. and Iran more or less likely? What is the U.S. policy on Iran going to be as the November elections are on the horizon?

Kindly join The SETA Foundation at DC for an expert panel discussion on these questions and Iran policy after Soleimani.

Light lunch will be provided.

Speakers:

Luke Coffey, Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy

Kilic B. Kanat, Research Director, The SETA Foundation at Washington D.C.

Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

Mark Perry, Independent Author and Journalist

Moderated by Kadir Ustun, Executive Director, The SETA Foundation at Washington D.C.