Banks need guarantees that they will not be penalised for transactions with Iran, when the US starts easing sanctions.
![International banks are at risk of astronomical fines if they engage in transactions with Iran [Getty Images]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014516131159360580_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)

Banks need guarantees that they will not be penalised for transactions with Iran, when the US starts easing sanctions.
![International banks are at risk of astronomical fines if they engage in transactions with Iran [Getty Images]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014516131159360580_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
What could Washington offer Tehran to seal the deal?
![For Washington, the idea that sanctions would be fully lifted prior to Iran's file becoming normalised is hard to sell, argues the author [EPA]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/20142185222999734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
New dynamics both in the Middle East and the US made the Iran nuclear accord possible.
![Iran was the easiest issue in the Middle East for US diplomacy to tackle, writes Trita Parsi [Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/20131128652392734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Rouhani’s resounding victory sheds light on at least three factors contributing to a systemic misreading of Iran.

While sanctions are having a devastating effect on Iran’s economy, they have not changed Tehran’s nuclear calculus.

While Netanyahu’s inner circle is agreeing with him, rest of the country seems to be increasingly united in opposition.

Sarkozy has repeatedly pushed an Iran policy that exacerbates a root cause of the continent’s economic malaise.
