F or Iran, 2015 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for two of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ’s biggest foreign-policy projects: achieving recognition for the country’s nuclear program and spreading his country’s sway across the Middle East. As the former goal has received most of the international attention, the latter has progressed steadily. “Iran’s biggest asset is staying power and strategic patience,” said Emile Hokayem, an analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “They’re deploying in the region the expertise and experience they’ve built up over decades.” Yet Iran’s successes have come with major costs that likely will become even more apparent in the coming year. Iranian support and guidance, as well as legions of allied Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon, have been decisive in bolstering the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But while Tehran has been girding Mr. Assad against what once looked like […]