As the United States and Iran are locked in a battle for power and influence across the Middle East -- with the fear of an Iranian nuclear weapon looming in the background -- FRONTLINE gains unprecedented access to Iranian hard-liners shaping government policy, including parliament leader Hamid Reza Hajibabaei, National Security Council member Mohammad Jafari and state newspaper editor Hossein Shariatmadari.

In this report, FRONTLINE examines how U.S. efforts to install democracy in Iraq have served to strengthen Iran's position as an emerging power in the Middle East. ...

New America Foundation Fellow and U.S. National Security Council Middle East Director Flynt Leverett discusses U.S.-Iran relations. For hightlights from Leverett's interview, please follow this link, and watch the entire FRONTLINE program here at PBS.org.