Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.

The impact of Iran’s new dialogue with the West will depend on whether the nuclear energy issue is negotiated alone, or if democracy and human rights, too, are on the agenda of the talks. Because in the latter case, people in Iran will understand that the West is interested in their fate as much as it cares about its own security, which will strengthen the green movement.

But if in the negotiations, the West sacrifices democracy to gain on the nuclear issue front, naturally the impact is negative. It does not mean the movement will subside, but the people of Iran will be left alone in their struggle.