When President Barack Obama announced the lifting of some of the most punishing sanctions against Iran last month, a tectonic shift took place. It felt like a Nixon to China moment. Iran, which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had declared was in compliance with the landmark nuclear deal, was now no longer America’s mortal enemy. The Iran of the 1980’s hostage crisis seemed born again by signaling it was ready to cast off its pariah status and join the rest of the civilized world. Or is it? The West hopes Friday’s parliamentary elections in Iran will confirm that hope, but insiders have already thrown cold water on that idea. Not much is likely to change, they say, as long as religious clerics remain in charge of the entire electoral process. Harsh critics of Obama’s legacy moment with Iran will be also be watching to see if reform has really taken hold in Iran.