The deal recently reached with Iran has been a controversial issue, but it is beneficial in every aspect, and the most important way is not the one most people think.

People are always talking about how the deal will prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by requiring Iran to reduce its stockpile of uranium by 98%, refrain from enriching uranium to more than 3.67%, and reduce its number of centrifuges from over 19,000 to 6,104, but what is really important to making us and our allies safer is actually the relaxing of sanctions.

As both the U.S. and Iran gain confidence through the deal, “The door would be opened to improved U.S.-Iranian relations, allowing constructive conversation and the possible resolution of other conflicts,” according to The Nation’s Michael T. Klare.

As Iran gradually becomes a more integrated part of the global economy and community as a result of the lifting of sanctions, rather than its bitter adversary, diplomacy with Iran will be much more successful, allowing it to cooperate with other nations to resolve issues in the Middle East.

The deal will also change Iran into a much more moderate nation than it is today. Increased diplomacy and sanctions, also according to Klare, “could help Iranian President Hassan Rouhani move forward on his agenda of domestic reform, thereby nudging Iran in a more moderate direction.” This shift would help to greatly improve relations between Iran and the west, which would in turn be a huge step towards stabilizing the Middle East.

This deal may even end many of the conflicts that Iran is causing today. As Iran becomes a better global citizen, it will end its support of problematic groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Its move towards cooperation and moderation will solve many of the issues it is causing in the Middle East, making us and our Middle Eastern allies safer, which was what we wanted out of the deal. History teacher Michael Hughes said, “What the U.S. is thinking is that we bought 15 years for that change to incubate.”

Iran’s transformation was not possible while Iran was crippled with sanctions, as it was easy for radical anti-American leaders to paint America as the enemy, but increased contact and diplomacy with other countries, including the U.S. and its allies, will allow the more moderate, younger Iranians (who make up the majority of the population) to take power and make changes and become more cooperative with the U.S. and its allies in the middle east, as “the vast majority of Iranians seek close relations with the U.S.,” according to The Daily Beast’s Leslie H. Gelb.

Opponents of the deal who push towards war against Iran rather than peaceful negotiation and insist on only seeing Iran as an enemy to be destroyed can’t see past their own noses. This short-sighted view, held mainly by politicians more concerned more with party loyalty than actually solving problems, ignores all of the long term benefits of the deal in favor of another war in the Middle East, which time and time again have proven to be the most effective method of destabilizing the region and making more terrorists.

When Iran does become more moderate and reasonable, it will become an ally, or at least friendly with, the United States and its Middle Eastern allies, which was what the U.S. sought in this deal. Gelb said, “Mr. Obama has always been after something much bigger than capping Iran’s nuclear program, and he got it – the strategic opportunity to begin converting Iran from foe to ‘friend’.” Would Iran really want to sacrifice its friendship with America for a weapon that it doesn’t need because of its friendship with America? I think not.