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As Iranians begin a New Year (Nav Ruz) on March 21, their quest for regime change has stalled, and a nuclear state is foreseeable, even if atomic weapons may not be inevitable. As Iran's leaders have demonstrated for 31 years, decisions are all about staying in power on their own terms.

Yes, U.S.-led sanctions have hurt Iran's economy. Nonetheless a U.S.-proposed new set of stiffer sanctions that would further deprive Iran's people but have limited impact on the leaders is running into opposition from foreign nations and corporations. The sanctions will likely lead to more totalitarianism from the Iranian government, but they will also affect international trade with Iran, which is another reason for much of the opposition to them. Essentially the prospect of profit outweighs...