In a significant turn of events, reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has emerged victorious in Iran’s presidential election, defeating his hard-line rival, Saeed Jalili. The results were announced after Pezeshkian secured 53.3 percent of the more than 30 million votes counted, compared with Jalili’s 44.3 percent. This pivotal vote comes at …
Read More »Iran Update, July 6, 2024
Moderate politician Masoud Pezeshkian won the Iranian presidential runoff election on July 5.[i] Iranian media reported that Pezeshkian received over 16 million votes, while his opponent, ultraconservative hardliner Saeed Jalili, received approximately 13.5 million votes.[ii] Pezeshkian and Jalili won approximately 10.4 million and 9.5 million votes respectively in the first …
Read More »Masoud Pezeshkian: Who is Iran’s new reformist president?
Iran’s reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won a runoff presidential election against ultraconservative Saeed Jalil- here’s what to know. Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s only reformist candidate in the recent presidential election, has emerged from relative obscurity to become the ninth president of the Islamic Republic. Pezeshkian, 69, secured about 53.6 percent …
Read More »Mass Boycott by Voters Persists as Masoud Pezeshkian Wins Iran Presidential Election
Latest Developments At least 50 percent of Iranian voters boycotted the second round of the Islamic Republic’s presidential election on July 5, which resulted in a victory for Masoud Pezeshkian, touted as a reformist candidate, against his rival Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator. According to the official count — …
Read More »The Iran-Hezbollah Game Plan – OpEd
Ever since October 7, egged on by Iran, Hezbollah has been escalating its cross-border clashes with Israel, while its leader Hassan Nasrallah has been stepping up his blood-curdling rhetoric, predicting Armageddon if Israel were to launch all-out war. Yet the truth is that Iran-Hezbollah would like nothing better. They have …
Read More »Iran Update, July 5, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a delegation led by Mossad Director David Barnea to Doha, Qatar on July 5 to continue ceasefire talks.[i] Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani on July 5 to build discussions on the ceasefire proposal Hamas submitted to Israel on …
Read More »The Limited Options for Managing the Iranian Nuclear Question
While persuading Iran to roll back its nuclear programme at this stage may be difficult, the US and its allies can and should seek to reinforce Tehran’s perception that a decision to weaponise the programme would increase Iranian isolation and insecurity. In recent months, unsettling rhetoric from senior Iranian individuals …
Read More »Iran Update, July 4, 2024
Recent Iranian polls show that moderate Masoud Pezeshkian is leading over ultraconservative hardliner Saeed Jalili in the Iranian presidential race.[i] The runoff election will occur on July 5. The Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA) published a poll on July 4 showing that Pezeshkian has a 5.6 percent lead over Jalili.[ii] …
Read More »Spotlight on Iran
Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri spoke with foreign ministers in the region andaround the world aiming to bring an end to the war in the Gaza Strip. He warned against thepossibility of an Israeli offensive initiative against Hezbollah, which would lead to an expansionof the war. Meanwhile, Iran is …
Read More »Iran Update, July 2, 2024
Iranian reformist presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian appears to be gaining momentum ahead of the runoff presidential elections on July 2. Several recent polls demonstrate that Pezeshkian is maintaining his lead over hardline candidate Saeed Jalili.[i] Pezeshkian received 10.4 million votes and Jalili received around 9.5 million during the first round …
Read More »