I agree, the analogy would not hold.
I greatly disagree with what Nixon did back then, and in hindsight I think it can be understood to be a great mistake.
But the ostensible purpose was not to prop up communism. Supposedly it was to drive a wedge between the two biggest communist powers at the time, the USSR and PRC. There is nothing comparable to that in outreach to Teheran in 2014.
If Obama normalizes relations with the Iranian regime I see no reason other than to prop up radical Islam.
You are correct...There is no wedge to be placed between Iran and anyone over there...
Trying to create a competition between two or more radical islamic nations is like trying to play “whack a mole”...
Communism was easy compared to this animal...