US, Iran and Israeli relations

Guests:  Mehdi Khalaji and Alireza Nader

A telephone call last Friday between President Obama and recently-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was the first contact between the two countries in over 30 years. The conversation was met with cautious optimism by government officials and foreign policy experts but also raised hopes that a more moderate Iranian government would be open to negotiations over their nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, while visiting the U.S., Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu urged President Obama to remain skeptical about Iran and increase the economic sanctions that has crippled the country’s economy. Could all this signal a new era in Middle East diplomacy? What are the prospects for the U.S. relationship with Iran and the concerns for our relationship with Israel? We’ll talk about all this and more with MEHDI KHALAJI of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and ALIREZA NADER of the Rand Corporation.