Exposing Iran’s Leverage in Nuclear Talks With the US: Can the US Strike a Deal?

On April 19, 2025, LTC Sargis Sangari UA (Ret.), CEO of NEC-SE, along with Michael Pregent, a former Intelligence Officer and the foremost expert on Iran in the United States, and Bar Marcois, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs during the Bush Administration and a career Foreign Service Officer with the State Department, were interviewed by Chris Beers on NTD TV regarding Iran’s leverage in nuclear talks with the US.

Can the US strike a deal?

The US-Iran nuclear talks- a rare and important meeting- are not the first of their kind. In 2015, President Trump pulled the United States out of a nuclear agreement negotiated by former President Barack Obama.

That deal imposed limitations on Iran’s nuclear program and, in return, would have lifted some international sanctions on Iran. President Trump said, “It was the worst deal ever negotiated.” He was concerned about Iran’s support for militant groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and others.

Trump pledged to secure a “better deal.”
Iran and the U.S. have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1979. Trump threatened military action if Iran does not halt its nuclear program.