Iranian Regime: Playing the Same Old Game Again

Iranian Regime: Playing the Same Old Game Again

Majid Rafizadeh

In 2015, the Iranian regime successfully manipulated the West into believing that it was ready to embrace moderation and diplomacy. Under the so-called “moderate” president, Hassan Rouhani, Iran engaged in negotiations that led to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the “Iran nuclear deal.” This agreement provided Iran’s ruling mullahs with significant sanctions relief, unfreezing billions of dollars in assets, allowing it to resume selling oil on global markets, and the ability legitimately to have as many nuclear weapons as they liked in just a few years – well after the deal’s father, President Barack “not on my watch” Obama was safely out of office – which just so happens to be this coming October 2025.

While Western governments portrayed the JCPOA as a diplomatic victory, the Iranian regime saw it as a lifeline. Iran’s economy had been severely weakened by sanctions imposed during the George W. Bush administration, but the Obama administration’s eagerness to secure a deal gave Tehran exactly what it wanted: money, legitimacy, time and a path to nuclear weapons.

The primary beneficiaries of the JCPOA were not the Iranian people. Instead, the biggest winners were the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the regime’s network of proxy militias and terrorist organizations across the Middle East and beyond. With the influx of cash, Iran expanded the IRGC’s operations, funneled weapons and cash to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, bolstered Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, and raced ahead with its nuclear weapons program.

Now, a decade later after the JCPOA, Iran is playing exactly the same game again. This time, the supposed face of “moderation” is President Masoud Pezeshkian. Just as Rouhani did in 2015, Pezeshkian is making overtures toward the West, signaling a willingness to engage in negotiations. He has already reached out to European leaders, while expressing Iran’s ostensible interest in diplomacy and nuclear transparency. Recent statements from other Iranian officials also suggest that Iran is eager for talks.

This offer might seem, on the surface, a promising development. History tells us it is not. The reality is that Iran is desperate for sanctions relief. Iran’s economy is struggling, and after the reinstatement by the second Trump administration of its “maximum pressure” policy toward Iran, which will most likely further restrict its access to global markets and financial resources, the regime’s concerns have deepened.

Lifting the sanctions against Iran would provide it with the financial resources needed to rebuild its military capabilities and once again strengthen its regional proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, all of which have suffered significant blows after provoking Israel’s military. Iran sees an opportunity to once again deceive the West, gain economic relief, and use the proceeds to continue proceeding with its nuclear weapons program and destabilizing the Middle East.

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