Peace may prove more dangerous for Iran's theocracy than war. The gap between what its rulers can deliver and what Iranians want is harder to manage without a war to blame.

On June 14, a peace deal between the United States and Iran was announced. The next day, Wall Street surged on hopes of a return to normal. In Iran, however, few people may know what normal looks like anymore.

It is easy to forget where Iran stood before the conflict began on Feb. 28. The regime was still reeling from the Iranian people's December uprising, the most serious challenge to its rule in years.

The uprising was not the first, but it was among the most consequential. As protests stretched into January, the regime responded with an almost complete internet blackout and a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

During that uprising, the regime reportedly killed more Iranians than the United States and Israel did during the subsequent conflict. More important, the uprising occurred before the war and was driven by the very grievances that fueled it: economic collapse and political repression.

That is the reality to which Iran's rulers now return. And therein lies the danger of peace for the theocracy. For nearly four months, the regime........

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