The U.S. government is pursuing a high-stakes gambit to improve relations with Iran, with President Obama delivering a conciliatory speech last month and later dispatching deputies to two international conferences in an attempt to find common ground with Iranians in attendance. Still, many are doubtful that the diplomatic outreach will resolve 30 years of differences between Tehran and Washington. Political scientist Sadegh Zibakalam heads the department of Iranian studies at Tehran University and has emerged as one of the most astute independent observers of U.S.-Iranian relations inside the Islamic Republic. Zibakalam, who recently spoke with The Times by telephone, said Obama’s strategy just might work, by undermining the worldview of the hard-liners who now have the upper hand in Iranian politics
