In 1979, both Iran and China underwent revolutionary transformations. In China, Deng Xiaoping inaugurated formal diplomatic relations with the United States, repudiating the Maoist Cultural Revolution that had devastated the country. In Iran, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was replaced by an Islamist regime committed to opposing the United States and exporting its revolutionary ideology. One of these upheavals has led to China’s unprecedented wealth and power, while the other has left Iran mired in economic stagnation.
On Aug. 5, Ebrahim Raisi will be inaugurated as Iran’s eighth president since the revolution. The Biden administration has been eager to reenter the Iran nuclear deal before the hard-liner takes office. But they needn’t worry: Should the administration choose to uphold the pressure until Iran returns to nuclear compliance, Raisi may well sign on to the old Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He would need sanctions relief to address the regime’s existential economic crisis.
