Following the withdrawal of US President Joe Biden from the US presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris is widely expected to be nominated as the Democrat's candidate in the coming weeks.
If Harris wins the presidency, she is expected to largely stick to Biden's foreign policy script on key issues.
"Harris's policy appears to pursue a conflicted de-escalation with Iran by trying to reach, if not a new nuclear deal, at least a new agreement or understanding that would pause Iran's nuclear weapon development," Arman Mahmoudian, lecturer and international affairs analyst at the University of South Florida in the US, told DW.
"On the other hand, Harris is also interested in developing a new generation of human rights-oriented policies toward Iran, specifically improving women's rights. The combination of these two approaches makes it challenging for her to pursue Iran policy effectively," he added.
As vice president, Harris has met several times with well-known personalities from the Iranian diaspora, including in October 2022 with Iranian-British actress Nazanin Boniadi during the nationwide "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests in Iran.
Harris has condemned the authorities' harsh treatment of protesters.
"The United States continues to stand with the brave women of Iran as they........