Going to Tehran

"There is a whole slew of highly dubious assumptions and narratives about Iran that are rarely challenged in any meaningful way in media circles. Going to Tehran is vital to thinking critically about these claims . . . Because of their expertise and their long immersion in these issues, the Leveretts and this book deserve a prominent voice in any serious debate about Iran."—Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian

"Read this book. You'll find a lot of information that's not generally available, and valuable insights that are sharply at odds with conventional views in the United States. This book may help, if it's widely enough understood, to halt a very clear drift toward what could be a terrible war."—Noam Chomsky

"One needn't agree with every word in Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett's new book, Going to Tehran, to grasp its basic truth: U.S. Iran policy is delusional. To shatter this ‘sorry Scheme of Things,' as the Persian poet describes it, will require a U.S. President with courage, audacity and political skill. It will also require a plan not too different from what the Leveretts lay out."—Lawrence B. Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell

"This brilliant book eviscerates the American case for continued belligerence toward Iran. The evidence of an Iranian bomb is just not there, the Leveretts write, and American diplomacy should be focused on resolving the conflict, and not expanding it. There is a precedent—Nixon and Kissinger's stunning reversal of policy toward China in 1971 that produced the Shanghai Communique, with its public call for mutual respect and a reduction of tensions. It is time, the book concludes, for an American president to reach for peace and go to Tehran."—Seymour Hersh, staff writer, The New Yorker

"A reasoned, methodical critique of the ideological folklore that prevents Washington from setting up normal diplomatic relations with Tehran . . . Going to Tehran is likely the most important book on U.S. foreign policy in 2013."—The Washington Spectator

"This book sheds dramatic light on the central foreign policy of Iranian government. The Leveretts superbly outline the true intentions of Iran and the way it is using international alliances and soft power to get there." —Patricia DeGennaro, The Huffington Post

"An unorthodox analysis of Iran and a scathing criticism of the U.S.'s foreign policy . . . U.S. policy makers need to hear criticisms like these." —Veterans Today

"This courageous and important book contains the three elements that are necessary for a rethinking of U.S. policy toward Iran: a rigorous critique of the intellectual foundations of present strategy; a devastating expose of misreporting of Iran in the Western media; and a set of bold ideas for how the present dangerous impasse in relations can be broken. It should be essential reading for policy makers and journalists alike."—Anatol Lieven, professor of War Studies, King's College London; senior fellow of the New America Foundation; author of Pakistan: A Hard Country

"Armchair warriors howling to have a go at Iran will denounce this book: you can count on it. Those who have had a bellyful of needless wars will have a different view. Going to Tehran is balanced, sober, impressively documented, and rich in insight. As an antidote to the warmongering that passes for analysis of Iran and US-Iranian relations, its appearance could hardly be more welcome or more timely."—Andrew J. Bacevich, author of Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War

"A sharply different deconstruction ot the prevailing orthodoxy, worthy of attention."—Kirkus Reviews