We have seen in the last few weeks — and for the last 47 years — that Iran’s regime is not one with which any responsible actor should seek a deal. Iran’s rulers might sign a piece of paper — as Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat did with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin with the 1993 Oslo Accord – but, like the PLO, its fundamental goals will not change.
Iran’s regime is fundamentally revolutionary. It seized power in 1979 with an identity rooted in anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and the suppression of Iranians seeking liberty. This identity defines it. Even if individual figures shift or new “moderates” appear at the negotiating table, the underlying revolutionary structure endures. The regime cannot abandon “Death to America” or “Death to Israel” without dissolving its own reason for being. Leaving it in place only ensures that it will dig its hooks in even deeper — especially after President Donald J. Trump leaves office and his successor possibly turns to interests more enjoyable than “enforcement.”
