On Nov. 28, just a day before the resumption of talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance sent out a four-page letter to state media outlining the government’s red lines. One particular sentence in the letter showed that Iran had made a major decision to take a different approach to the crisis over its nuclear program.

On the fourth page and in the penultimate paragraph, the letter said: “Focusing on the principle of good neighborliness, with regard to the Arab world in particular, is of prime importance. A basic principle is to avoid insulting and humiliating world leaders or making controversial statements against the neighboring countries at the media level.”

It sent the message that Iranian media should be careful about what they write about Arab countries, to avoid publishing sensitive material that could fuel tensions, and to refrain from disrespecting the leaders and governments of Iran’s Arab neighbours...