RFL/RE – Iranians are voting in a four-man presidential race that could reinvigorate efforts for an economic and diplomatic thaw with the West or draw the curtain on a four-year interlude in hard-line domination at all levels of government. By Golnaz Esfandiari https://www.rferl.org/fba22956-2fda-453b-ac98-9727d6daf5c7 The incumbent, relative moderate Hassan Rohani, and a conservative former prosecutor, Ebrahim Raisi, are widely regarded as the …

RFL/RE – U.S. forces have for the first time bombed a convoy of Syrian government and Iranian-backed militia forces after Russia was unable to keep them from entering an area where U.S. allies have been preparing to battle the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, the Pentagon says. The Syrian-allied forces were threatening U.S. troops and allied rebel forces operating near …

Al-Arabia – Iranians began voting Friday in the country’s first presidential election since its nuclear deal with world powers, as incumbent Hassan Rowhani faced a staunch challenge from a hard-line opponent over his outreach to the West. The election is largely viewed as a referendum on the 68-year-old cleric’s more moderate policies, which paved the way for the nuclear accord …

Radiozamaneh – A presidential race in Iran that began with six candidates is now narrowed down to two main candidates: the moderate President Hassan Rouhani and the hardliner Ebrahim Raisi. On Friday 19 May, the voting stations across Iran open their doors to voters who will choose Iran’s next president as well as their local City and Village councils. Rouhani …

IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS –  In advance of the Iranian Presidential elections on 19 May, which will take place in a largely restrictive environment, we, the undersigned organisations, urge that the Iranian government fulfill its international human rights obligations and cease the systematic targeting of human rights defenders (HRDs). Scores of HRDs have been arrested and remain in prison on arbitrary …

Al-monitor – Despite previously dismissing the idea of stepping aside in Iran’s presidential race, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf withdrew May 15 in favor of fellow conservative candidate Ebrahim Raisi. This unexpected move has left political analysts wondering whether it will actually benefit Raisi or, conversely, the incumbent president, Hassan Rouhani, in the May 19 election. AUTHOR Saeid Jafari Ghalibaf, a three-time presidential candidate, had run a controversial campaign. …

Al-monitor – With the exception of the third presidential debate in which candidates accused each other of lying and corruption, this year’s Iranian presidential election has been relatively calm in comparison to the last two elections. No one has attempted to disclose secrets about a candidate’s wife, and the country’s longtime nuclear negotiator was not suddenly criticized for his intransigence, …

RFL/RE – When Mahmud Ahmadinejad was elected to a second term as president in 2009 as a result of what is widely regarded as vote-rigging, Iran’s younger generation played a leading role in the massive street protests that ensued and gave birth to the opposition Green Movement. The role of young Iranians in the election (source: Hamshahri Javan magazine) By David Patrikarakos, RFE/RL Iran’s …

PayvandNews – Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry along with other top security experts have come to defend the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the JCPOA, from the country’s hardline President Donald Trump.  Through a newly formed organization called Diplomacy Works, Kerry and several national security experts who served under former U.S. President Barack Obama are fighting to …

CHRI – Hardliners Working to Suppress Reformist Leader’s Endorsement of Rouhani Rouhani’s supporters campaigning for him at Tehran’s Vali Asr street on Thursday (photo by Islamic Republic News Agency) Since reformist leader Mohammad Khatami endorsed incumbent President Hassan Rouhani’s second-term election campaign, hardliners have been working to suppress the message, as well as Rouhani’s criticism of his powerful, hardline opponents, the Center for Human …