<span>The protest movement following the 12 June 2009 Iranian presidential election raised the question of what should be the European and American policy towards democratic forces in Iran. Another way of framing the issue is: should the West support “regime change” in Iran as an objective? Serious arguments can be made that the West should instead concentrate on resolving the nuclear </span><span>standoff, even if Iran has an odious government. But there are two serious complications to any effort to reassure Tehran that the West is prepared to accept the regime so long as it agrees to a nuclear deal: Iranian leaders would not believe such a U.S. statement no matter what actions the U.S. government takes, and the United States has a strong interest in the cause of democracy in Iran.</span>
Clawson, P. (2009). The Prospects for Regime Change in Iran and the Controversy about U.S. Policy. Scholars For Peace In The Middle East Conference 2009.
