Watch part two

When Barack Obama, the US president-elect, takes office on January 20, it will mark three decades since the US has had any diplomatic ties with Iran.

Will the icy relations between Washington and Tehran thaw under an Obama administration?

Obama has kept the prospect of tougher sanctions on Iran on the table, but has advocated 'direct diplomacy' regarding Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran argues that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, but the West suspects that it could be expanded to a weapons programme.

On Tuesday, Riz speaks to Hooshang Amirahmadi, the president of the American Iranian Council and author of Revolution and Economic Transition: The Iranian Experience.

Also joining the show will be Hossein Askari, a professor of International Business and International Affairs at George Washington University.

This episode aired on Tuesday, December 23, 2008.