WASHINGTON D.C.: Iran’s revolution is poised to enter a new phase when, later this summer, former minister of culture Mohammed Khatami (who won a stunning upset on May 23 over the heavily favored speaker of parliament) becomes the country’s fifth president. But don’t look for Tehran’s Islamic government to change overnight. Khatami is a Shi’ite mullah whose father was an ayatollah. Moreover, Khatami wears the black turban that signifies his family’s descent from the prophet Mohammed, and served in both the parliament and cabinet until forced from power in 1992.
WASHINGTON D.C.: Iran’s revolution is poised to enter a new phase when, later this summer, former minister of culture Mohammed Khatami (who won a stunning upset on May 23 over the heavily favored speaker of parliament) becomes the country’s fifth president. But don’t look for Tehran’s Islamic government to change overnight. Khatami is a Shi’ite mullah whose father was an ayatollah. Moreover, Khatami wears the black turban that signifies his family’s descent from the prophet Mohammed, and served in both the parliament and cabinet until forced from power in 1992.