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Washington DC - "You can't bomb knowledge," said Robert Litwak, Director of the Division of International Security Studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. According to Litwak, bombing Iran's nuclear sites will not deter future technological developments. US military action, he explained, would only trigger major responses worldwide, specifically a worsening of the fragile state of Iraq and "a rally around the flag effect in Iran."

The panel titled "US - Iran: Lessons from the Past for the Present and Future," was held at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and opened with a discussion of Iran's new power structure. Giandomenico Picco, Former Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs at the United Nations, discussed the significance of Iran's political "variations in power centers." According to Picco, who has had extensive experience dealing with Iran, the political strength of Iran's Revolutionary Guards serves as a significant and disconcerting example of the trend of political change within Iran. Washington political figures could use such a development as evidence that there is room for progress in the region and a closing "window of opportunity" for the US to be involved in any progress, stated Picco.

According to Litwak, in order to engage Iran, the current administration in Washington will need to recognize that "what is politically serious in Washington is politically insignificant in Tehran." What the US has previously viewed as a big step toward normalization, such as allowing the importation of pistachios and carpets, has little weight in Tehran.

The panel of experts discussed in detail strategies and plans that the administration should follow in order to engage Iran. As said by Litwak, it is critical that Washington "increase pressure on the regime, the core values of the regime, with a willingness to say yes." He explained that the US cannot expect to enter negotiations with Iran while continuing to solely work towards its own interests, not taking into consideration the wants of the Iranian government.

The timing of the conference is significant in the lives of Iranians and Iranian Americans alike. Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, could prove to be a window of opportunity for the US, stated Robin Wright, journalist, author and public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center. She stated, "By recognizing this special celebration for Iranians, the US is showing that it is ready to begin engaging Iran on some level."

Included among a detailed list of suggestions, Wright stated that the US should be prepared to deal with other factors that are sure to present themselves when the US opens its door to Iran, one being the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The panel unanimously expressed a concern for the complexity of the region, the importance of understanding the needs of all countries involved, and a commitment to carry out negotiations with respect.

In Wright's opinion, the US administration is sincerely interested in negotiating with Iran. Yet she stated that president Obama and other political figures have not recognized the need to use sensitive language when discussing the Iran issue. Iran has expressed its disdain for phrases such as "carrots and sticks," that the US has repeatedly used when discussing its future dealings with Iran. Wright stated that this mistranslates to say that the US plans to deal with Iran as a donkey, either reward it with carrots or beat it into submission. "This will backfire on us," she said.

Tirman who is the Director of Persian Gulf Initiative at the Center for International Studies at MIT, joined Wright in expressing the importance of transforming the manner in which the US frames its dialogue. Tirman stated, "We have repeatedly referred to Iran using derogatory language, a rogue state, the Great Satan, a terrorist state, etc." He went on to say that the reasons the US gives for its present relationship with Iran are hypocritical due to the fact that several states have done or are doing what Iran is doing, such as human rights abuses, and the US maintains diplomatic relations with these countries.

According to the panel, the nuclear issue and longstanding US sanctions on Iran are two large factors plaguing US-Iran relations. In reference to the nuclear issue, Tirman stated, "The US should recognize Iran's legitimate security concerns in the region." He went on to say that Iran is a country surrounded by nuclear armed countries and so it is evident why they have such serious security concerns. "We need to understand them," he said. As for sanctions, both Wright and Tirman believed that lifting or freezing economic sanctions would send a positive signal to Iranian leaders that the US is willing to negotiate. "We need to build their confidence in us," said Wright.