Khomeini’s idea of exporting the revolution has evaporated but Iran feels quite legitimately that it cannot ignore the interests of fellow Shi’ites across the world.

On the contrary, what is being exported now is the Saudi-sanctioned Salafist ideology as expressed in the manifestos of the Taliban, al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, Ahrar al-Sham, Islamic State and several other groups. According to a cable released by WikiLeaks in 2009, former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton accused Saudi Arabia of financially backing Muslim terrorist groups. Yet that regime remains a staunch ally of the US and the West.

US-Iran relations are marred partly because the US and its Western allies view Iran through the Israeli lens. The Netanyahu government, contrary to its own insider advice, exaggerates the ­nuclear threat from Iran. Its openly aggressive stance was arguably a tactic on the part of the Israeli Prime Minister to help him win re-election this week.

The simple fact is the Iranian nuclear program is a response to more than 30 years of US brinkmanship and sanctions. As noted earlier, Shi’ism is a religion of protest; the more it is oppressed, the firmer its resolve to rebel.