Middle East future hinges on which force emerges as main beneficiary of expected accord

ISTANBUL�Reformers and hard-liners in the Iranian regime have been jockeying for influence for decades. As the Islamic Republic now nears a landmark nuclear agreement with the U.S. and other world powers, the Middle East�s future depends on which force emerges as the deal�s main beneficiary.

Will the accord empower the more pragmatic factions interested in normalizing Iran�s relations with the West, even as the regime maintains repression at home? Or, as some of Iran�s neighbors fear, will the financial windfall from the lifting of sanctions enable the hard-liners to step up the export of Iran�s Islamic revolution throughout the region?

Relative moderates such as President Hasan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif have invested much political capital to bring Iran to the cusp of a nuclear deal. Their domestic supporters have raised expectations that the accord, which is due to be completed by June 30, will usher in a new era of regional cooperation.

Read more here

 

This article was written by Yaroslav Trofimov for The Wall Street Journal on May 28, 2015. Yaroslav Trofimov writes a weekly column, Middle East Crossroads, about the region stretching from West Africa to Pakistan. He joined the Journal in 1999 and previously served as Rome, Middle East and Singapore-based Asia correspondent, and as bureau chief in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
�����������������������