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Thursday, May 7, 2026
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. / Eastern Time
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Background and Context
Please join eminent former U.S. diplomat, the Honorable Thomas Pickering, at the next National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations webinar, as he presents his latest proposal to resolve the U.S.-Iran conflict. Former Presidential Special Envoy Timothy Lenderking will discuss the proposal, joined by leading Iran expert Negar Mortazavi and renowned Gulf, geopolitical, and energy expert Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen.
The expert group will analyze the fragile state of global security, the economic shocks of maritime chokepoints, the resilience and vulnerabilities of Iran, and the efforts of global superpowers to avert economic catastrophe. Pickering will comment on his previous participation in the Oxford Process on conflict resolution with Iran, and the group will comment on recent U.S. and Iranian peace proposals facilitated by Pakistan, the possibility of a renewed, U.S. military assault on Iran, and the intentions of the Houthis biding time on the sidelines.
Panelists will also comment on President Trump’s visit to China, which focused even more than expected on de-escalation the two straits of Taiwan and Hormuz. The webinar will also look at the effects of depletion of U.S. munitions on Middle Eastern and Asian balance of power. Attendees will gain an appreciation of whether this volatile crisis will plunge the world into an unmanageable wider war and global economic downturn or pivot to a coordinated diplomatic breakthrough.
Please review Ambassador Pickering’s proposal in Foreign Affairs, which can be found below:
Keynote Remarks:
- Amb. (Ret.) Thomas R. Pickering, Vice Chair, Hills & Company; Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (1997-2000); Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Six Countries including Russia, Israel, and Jordan | Bio
Moderator:
- Dr. Abderrahim Foukara, Distinguished Fellow for U.S.-Arab Affairs and Media Leadership, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Former Washington D.C. Bureau Chief, Al Jazeera | Bio
Speakers:
- Mr. Timothy Lenderking, Former U.S. Presidential Special Envoy for Yemen; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs, U.S. Department of State | Bio
- Ms. Negar Mortazavi, Editor and Host, Iran Podcast; Senior Fellow, Center for International Policy | Bio
- Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Co-Director, Middle East Energy Roundtable | Bio