As the Obama administration celebrates its historic nuclear deal with Iran, Iran is continuing the Islamic revolution of 1979.
In October, Iran imprisoned an Iranian-American who was a vocal advocate of diplomatic engagement between the two countries—a provocation that has not deterred the U.S. from giving Iran a bigger role in determining the future of the Middle East.
Iran now holds five American citizens hostage on bogus charges, in dreadful conditions.
In harassing and seizing American citizens, Iran’s theocratic regime is staying true to its roots.
In 1979, Iranian revolutionaries stormed and sacked the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking dozens of Americans hostage. The crisis ended with the Americans’ release after 444 days in captivity, not before a botched rescue operation left eight American servicemen dead in the Iranian desert.
Fiery sermons and celebrations like Quds Day stoke anti-American sentiment and justify repressive behavior like the taking of hostages. Anti-Americanism rivals only anti-Semitism as a central tenant of the Islamic republic’s ideology.
Iran’s recent provocations deflate the hope—expressed openly by many analysts and hinted at by administration figures—that the nuclear deal would lead the Iranian regime to abandon its ideological revolution in exchange for economic cooperation.
Secretary of State John Kerry said that "a lot of things change in countries" in 15 years and said he was "hopeful" that Iran would be more cooperative on Syria as a result of the deal.
Since then, Iran has dramatically escalated its military support for Hezbollah and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, making good on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s promise that the deal would not change Iran’s behavior toward the "arrogant U.S."