There are many reasons to object to U.S. President George W. Bush's "axis of evil" comment in his State of the Union address last month. Including Iran in this unholy triumvirate may be the most troubling, since it could undermine elements in that country that have been trying to move Tehran toward some degree of accommodation with the West. Mr. Bush does not seem to recognize that there are divisions in Iran; his speech played into the hands of hardliners and discredited reformist forces. His comments make it more difficult for Iran to move closer to the United States.

Mr. Bush accused Tehran of trying to develop weapons of mass destruction and criticized its support for groups the U.S. considers terrorist organizations. Israel's recent seizure of a boatload of weapons, allegedly originating in Iran and bound for extremists fighting the Jewish state, was the most recent act. Washington has also accused the country of trying to undermine the new Afghan government and providing refuge for members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban who have been fleeing the U.S. onslaught. Finally, the humiliation suffered over two decades ago when U.S. diplomats were taken hostage in Tehran and kept captive for over a year has not been forgotten.

If there is anger in the U.S., there are equally strong emotions in Iran. The country's conservative Islamic leaders despise the U.S. They resent its past alliance with the shah, its continued support for Israel, its material success and, perhaps most of all, its secular society that offers a seductive alternative to the austerity of their Islamic Revolution. The failures of that model have become more apparent in recent years, and the clerics that control much of the country now appear more concerned with protecting their privileges than in realizing a society that meets the needs of its citizens.