( CNN ) There is plenty of noise surrounding the nuclear deal that is being negotiated with Iran . But for all the heat generated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's speech to Congress and an ill-conceived , panicky letter to Iran 's leadership organized by Sen.Tom Cotton -- the latest debate is creating little light . Indeed , it may actually be obscuring the fundamental issue of Iran 's own foreign policies -- and whether Tehran 's destabilizing activities abroad should preclude a deal at all . Unfortunately , few in Congress have taken the time to consider the matter in a thoughtful , coherent manner . There are , of course , certain realities that should not be in dispute : Yes , Iran is a regional adversary to a number of its Gulf neighbors and Israel . And it does aim to provoke Sunni-led Gulf states and generally to sow seeds of sectarian Islam abroad . In addition , the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp 's Quds force is alleged to have provided training and weapons to a range of militants -- Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories , Bashar al-Assad 's regime in Syria , Houthi rebels in Yemen , disenfranchised Shia Muslims in Bahrain , and even to militant groups in West Africa . Most recently , Iran has been directing military operations by U.S.-equipped Iraqi forces against ISIS militants in Iraq , forces that have been aided by U.S. airstrikes . Netanyahu grasped the irony , starkly warning `` when it comes to Iran and ISIS , the enemy of your enemy is your enemy . '' ( Although Sen. Marco Rubio appears to be confused , insisting at a March 11 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Iran must be unhappy with U.S. airstrikes against ISIS ) . Yet the question that Netanyahu did not answer , and which Sen. Cotton and his 46 colleagues have not even asked , is what exactly should be done about Iran 's activities abroad ? Many in Congress fail to grasp that Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and his colleagues in Iran 's Cabinet , with their U.S.-PhDs and understanding of plural democracies , are not cut from the same cloth as the hardliners in charge of Iran 's Quds force ( its commander , Qasem Suleimani turns up in Lebanon and Iraq despite a travel and asset ban ) . And yes , it was the Quds force that provided the explosives and operatives that led to significant U.S. casualties in the early years of the 2003 Iraq war . To answer the question of what to do about Iran 's activities , it is important to understand that the nuclear agreement , while it has little to do with Iran 's arms transfers or extracurricular activities in the region , can lay the groundwork for a far more serious engagement about Iran 's role in the region -- and in a manner that addresses head-on the concerns of its Sunni neighbors , many of whom are eager to resume longstanding trading relationships with Iran . The reality is that Iran 's reemergence into the international community in a postnuclear deal environment would allow the Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC ) to assert its interests in the region , and to lay out expectations of Iran as a constructive partner . It might even lead to quiet , back-channel diplomacy about the future of Syria without al-Assad . None of this is possible in the absence of the nuclear deal . Once Iran begins to navigate its relationships as more than the isolated , nuclear-threshold pariah state it currently is , there will be less tolerance internationally for destabilizing arms transfers and the training of would-be insurgents . And there is no need to rely on Iran 's word that it will refrain from such activities . As U.N. Security Council resolutions are rewritten to lift the ban on uranium enrichment in Iran , the ban on Iranian arms transfers can and should remain in place , with U.N. member states required to report to the Security Council any violations of that ban by Iran . Ultimately , as important as the nuclear issue is , the real promise of a deal is only partially about limiting the country 's nuclear ambitions -- it is also about returning stability to a shattered region , exhausted and impoverished by war . Iran , the United States and Gulf allies can be partners in such a process with clear eyes and no illusions about how difficult it will be . A nuclear deal is just the beginning .
Talks are continuing over Iran 's nuclear program . Jacqueline Shire : A nuclear deal is just the beginning .