Conversation Changers: The Future of U.S.-Iran Relations

Martin Weiss became the ninth president of Salzburg Global in August 2022. Leveraging Salzburg Global's long history, Martin is leading Salzburg Global to have future influence and impact on today and tomorrow's leaders. Martin's career has championed personal and professional exchanges to create a more equitable and peaceful world.

Before this appointment, Martin served as Austrian Ambassador to the US between November 2019 and July 2022. He had also served as Ambassador to Israel (2015-19), Director of the Press and Information Department of the Foreign Ministry (2012-15), and Ambassador to Cyprus (2009-12). Martin also held several postings in the United States. Martin started as a Human Rights Attaché for the Austrian Mission to the United Nations in New York in 1991 before taking on the positions of Political Counselor, Counselor for Congressional Affairs and Public Diplomacy, and later Director of the Austrian Press and Information Service at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, and as Austrian Consul General in Los Angeles (2004-09). Martin holds a law degree (equivalent to JD) from the University of Vienna and a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Virginia (UVA).

Ali Vaez is Crisis Group’s Iran Project Director and Senior Adviser to the President. He led Crisis Group’s efforts in helping to bridge the gaps between Iran and the P5+1 that led to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. Previously, he served as a Senior Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and was the Iran Project Director at the Federation of American Scientists. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is a co-author of How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare.