Akshai Vikram is the Roger L. Hale Fellow at Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation, where he focuses on U.S. nuclear policy. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Akshai previously worked as an opposition researcher for the Democratic National Committee and a campaign staffer for the Kentucky Democratic Party. He maintains a strong academic interest in the history of U.S.-Iranian relations. Akshai is a two-time graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, holding an M.A. in International Economics and American Foreign Policy from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. in International Studies and Political Science. On a good day, he speaks Spanish, French, and Persian proficiently.
The Trump administration seems to have no intention of offering sanctions relief to Iran amid the COVID-19 crisis and some sort of military confrontation as a result isn’t outside the realm of possibilities.
