Don't Fear the Hard-Liners

The scenes in Tehran in the hours following the announcement of the nuclear deal were a testament to how important Iranians felt it was to their lives. In different cities, people took to the streets on Thursday, honking horns, waving flags, cheering. It had been a long time coming. In the months leading up to the deadline, whenever I visited or called friends and family in Iran, the first questions I heard were typically, "What's going on in the talks? Will we get a deal?" A day after the agreement was made public in Lausanne, when Friday prayers were held across Iran, prayer leaders welcomed a "success" for the Islamic Republic, and upon his arrival at the airport, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's return to the country was celebrated as if he'd led Iran to the next World Cup....

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