The story: Iran’s supreme leader has once again commended a controversial 2020 law criticized by moderates for torpedoing efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also urged the conservative parliament to collaborate with incoming Reformist President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian to lift western sanctions. The apparent balancing act by Iran’s top decision maker comes as Pezeshkian’s team has come under fire from hardliners for championing “positive discrimination” in favor of minorities and women.

The nuclear law: In a meeting with lawmakers on July 21, Khamenei hailed the parliament for drafting the “Strategic Action Law to Lift Sanctions and Safeguard the National Interests of Iran.” The Dec. 2020 legislation compelled...