After North Korea, Iran?

"I will prohibit negotiations with the United States"... This prohibition by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which has recently made headlines alongside the phrase "I made a mistake," is not a new position. Not only is it not new, but history shows it is not necessarily definitive and irreversible either. The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly emphasized over the years and decades that negotiations with Washington are a red line; a red line that, however, the government decides when it is permissible or necessary to cross. About 7 years ago, a year before he claimed to have made a "mistake" and gave a public green light to President Rouhani's government for talks with the U.S., the position voiced by Ayatollah Khamenei from various platforms was one of prohibiting negotiations. However, behind the scenes, other relationships were taking place. During the heavy U.S. sanctions and the fiery anti-American rhetoric of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian representatives, with the permission of Ayatollah Khamenei, secretly crossed red lines to meet in Oman with representatives of a country labeled as the "Great Satan." The recent prohibition declared by Ali Khamenei raises questions about its seriousness, especially as Donald Trump has clearly stated he is willing to negotiate without preconditions with Iran. How likely is it that an unexpected event similar to what happened with Pyongyang could occur with Tehran, leading Iranian officials, like the North Korean leader, to sit face to face with the President of the United States? How comparable are these two situations? This program seeks to answer these questions.