"Cliff Kupchan" is an American political analyst and former government official. He is the chairman of the political risk consulting and advisory firm Eurasia Group, where he specializes in Russia and Iran. Kupchan has been described as a "leading expert" on Iran, and has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin numerous times.

More Cliff Kupchan on Wikipedia.

You'd be picking a … fight, though. Iran is a sophisticated country, with a very sophisticated leadership. It has a range of retaliatory options that are extremely unpleasant.

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I'm not convinced that talks would lead anywhere. (But) in the short to medium term, they would take the pressure out of the system that's driving oil prices.

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The Russians want to stay in very good graces, because there's a big pay day for them.

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They know they're sitting on a ton of gas and they're dying to develop it. They can't do it by themselves, and sanctions that prevent them from doing it would hurt Iran.

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