It has been just over a week since the West signed its nuclear agreement with Iran , and reality is beginning to replace the fantasy that lay behind it.
Four days after the deal was done, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowed to defy the US, a speech described by John Kerry as "very troubling". You don't say: the speech was punctuated by chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel". So much for the promised moderating effect on Iran's leadership. A day later, German Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel rolled up in Tehran with an entourage of business chiefs.
Not long after that, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius pledged that he would bring his own business delegation to Iran next week. So much for the promise that Iran must "earn" Western economic co-operation. While in Tehran, Mr Gabriel insisted that Germany would only open business ties with Iran if it changed its policies towards Israel. The reply from Khamenei?
A dismissive "never". Welcome to the new world of the West licking its lips at the business opportunities offered by Iran. Different kinds of deals.
