Generally speaking, most Arabs are Sunni Muslims, while Persians are overwhelmingly Shia Muslims. During my 2018 National Republican Senatorial Committee foreign affairs briefing for candidates, I asked whether that was the likely outcome if Iran acquired nuclear weapons. Are nuclear weapons the ultimate objective, or are they simply a means to achieving broader geopolitical and ideological goals? Following U.S. military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, his administration has also explored expanding civilian nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia under strict international safeguards. Would Iran’s leadership be willing to continue pursuing nuclear weapons if doing so accelerated civilian nuclear cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia?