Rohani Clout in Iran Corridors of Power May Aid Nuclear Deal

Iranian President-elect Hassan Rohani once complained that the Islamic Republic’s leaders tend to take extreme positions in negotiations with the West and find it hard to compromise. Rohani is about to get a chance to prove he can do better.

The former negotiator, who wrote a book about his experience as a nuclear diplomat, will be inaugurated as president on Sunday. He won the June 14 election promising to ease a standoff with the U.S. and revive an economy crippled by sanctions that reflect Iran’s growing isolation under outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.