Did America Lose the Iran War? (w/ Ambassador Wendy Sherman)

President Trump says the war with Iran is over. But what exactly did the United States agree to?

Ambassador Wendy Sherman, the lead U.S. negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, joins Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to assess the new U.S.-Iran agreement and explain why she believes it gives Tehran significant concessions while securing few meaningful nuclear constraints in return.

Topics covered:

• Whether the United States or Iran emerged with greater leverage from the war

• The future of Iran's nuclear program and its economic windfall through sanctions relief and Strait of Hormuz fees

• What the deal means for Israel, the Gulf states, and the broader Middle East

• Why diplomacy requires expertise, patience, and direct engagement with adversaries

Jake and Jon also discuss whether Congress will review the agreement, what it could mean for Russia and global energy markets, and other stories they're watching in the weeks ahead.

For transcripts, exclusive podcast segments, and more, subscribe to The Long Game on Substack.  On  Apple Podcasts, subscribe to The Long Game+ for exclusive audio. This week, paid subscribers get access to an exclusive segment in which Jake and Jon share behind-the-scenes stories from their own negotiations with Iranian officials during the Obama administration, including late-night bargaining sessions in Vienna, secret talks in Oman, and some of the unexpected moments that helped shape the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Follow The Long Game so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop weekly.

Show notes are available here.

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

Transcript here.

Email Jake and Jon at [email protected].

The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices