President Hassan Rouhani’s whirlwind visit to Europe last week was an indication both of how eager Iran is to shed its pariah status and of how eager western countries are to resume trade and financial relations now that international sanctions are being lifted. Dozens of contracts running into billions of dollars were discussed. He met the pope, the Italian prime minister, the French president, and many business leaders. After years of tensions and mistrust, the scenes of a smiling Iranian leader being welcomed with open arms in European capitals were in stark contrast with the recent past. Yet in spite of the feelgood imagery, to believe that Iran’s regime has altogether transformed itself and might now be moving towards decisive domestic reform and a constructive role on the international stage would be naive and shortsighted. Iran may have a president with a “moderate” profile – one whose smooth approach comes as a relief after the Ahmadinejad years – but that does not mean the authoritarian nature of the regime or the objectives of its foreign policy have changed. Iran still ranks as one of the most repressive states in the world, and there has been no improvement.
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