Iran’s potential defectors are watching Washington

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s message to the G7 — that Washington intends to maintain severe economic pressure on Iran — has an audience beyond the diplomats gathered in Paris. It also matters to the people inside Iran’s security establishment who may someday have to choose between protecting the regime and abandoning it.

For an Iranian officer considering that choice, American credibility is personal. Breaking with the regime could cost him his freedom, his livelihood, and his family’s safety. Before taking that risk, he must decide whether the alternative is believable — and whether Washington’s commitment will survive the next diplomatic opening.