In September 2012, President Barack Obama telephoned Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. It was the first direct diplomatic contact between the two countries' leaders since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Two months later, the United States and its P5+1 partners (Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia) reached an initial nuclear agreement with Iran. The first-stage deal freezes key elements of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for limited sanctions relief and provides negotiators with a six-month time frame to work toward a comprehensive and lasting accord. Taken together, these dramatic developments have led many to ask if we are at a potential breakthrough moment in U.S.–Iran relations.

Suzanne DiMaggio, senior fellow and director of the Southwest Asia Program at the New America Foundation, explores the secret negotiations that led to the interim deal and what it will take to reach a final nuclear agreement. She also will assess the prospects for U.S. dialogue with Iran on issues related to the broader Middle East and Southwest Asia, and U.S.-Iran normalization after 35 years of estrangement and hostility.