Managing Post-Nuclear Deal Expectations: Rouhani's Difficult Road Ahead

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July 15, 2015

As difficult as it was for President Rouhani to secure a deal, it will be even more difficult for him to sustain popular support for it when all the excitement dies down. In a new poll that IranPoll.com, an independent Toronto-based opinion research firm, conducted for the University of Maryland, a majority (57%) of Iranians expressed support for the deal. Yet, the expressed support heavily rests on the assumption, held by most Iranians, that the deal will result in better access to foreign medicines and medical equipment (61%); significantly more foreign investment (62%); and tangible improvements in living standards (55%), all within a year. If these expectations are not realized quickly, Rouhani will be left with the unpleasant task of explaining who has pocketed the benefits of the deal and what Iran got in return for rolling back the nuclear program. Read the full article.