Could Iran’s New President Be Nixon to America’s China?

Slate: How does the election of Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner among hardliners, as Iran’s next president affect the prospects for reviving the Iran nuclear deal? Some say Raisi’s election makes a return to the deal less likely, others say more likely. In fact, nobody knows. Both predictions are mere guesses based on-premises. So, to know where we stand, it’s worthwhile to examine those premises.

The optimists cite President Richard Nixon’s trip to China. Only a lifelong anti-Communist like Nixon could have opened relations with Mao Zedong’s China without inciting rebellion from fellow Republicans. Similarly, they argue, Raisi—the head of the Islamic Republic’s judiciary, who ordered mass executions of political prisoners, spurring the U.S. to sanction him personally for human-rights abuses—could do the same for restoring the nuclear deal.
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https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/06/iran-nuclear-deal-ebrahim-raisi.html