LIGNET: Domestic Pressures Drove Rouhani to Make Deal With the West

The recently completed agreement with world powers is a cornerstone of the Iranian regime’s broader strategy to improve conditions at home, as it will give Iran access to billions of dollars in frozen assets. The money is important, but in the long term President Hassan Rouhani may be playing for even larger stakes: gaining acceptance of Iran as a peaceful nation no longer bent on confrontation with Israel and the United States. That does not imply a softening of the regime’s revolutionary zeal as much as it signals a shift in tactics.

Click here to read the full analysis from top intelligence experts at LIGNET.com.