Lifting the Sanctions Will Not End Iran’s Revolutionary Zeal

The timely implementation of the Iran deal and Tehran’s full compliance with its various provisions to date should not be viewed as just an accomplished goal, but as a continuing process that could take several years to determine its viability and the extent to which it impacts Iran’s foreign and domestic policy.

An Iranian woman walks past a big poster showing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) and the founder of Iran's Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L), during a ceremony marking the 36th anniversary of his return from exile, at Khomeini's mausoleum in a suburb of Tehran, on Feb. 1, 2015. Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

The timely implementation of the Iran deal and Tehran’s full compliance with its various provisions to date should not be viewed as just an accomplished goal, but as a continuing process that could take several years to determine its viability and the extent to which it impacts Iran’s foreign and domestic policy.

I believe the deal will encourage Tehran to continue its customary underhanded activities to advance its strategic interests. Conversely, it will intensify the restiveness of many of the Western-oriented Iranian youth, who are resentful of the regime’s heavy-handed social and political policies.

Given Iran’s domestic political volatility and regional ambition, Tehran should not be expected to choose a single strategy to advance its national interests. Instead, it will pursue a mixture of policies consistent with its self-perception and drive to become the region’s hegemon.

Tehran feels it has the inherent right to be the region's hegemon, and to protect itself by any means, including cheating on the nuclear deal, subversion, and supporting terrorism.