Iran’s Muddled Presidential Politics
The most important question posed by Iran’s presidential election this June is not who will be elected, but what that choice will reveal about the intentions of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's next president may be able to adjust economic or social policies, but it is Khamenei who decides on the biggest issues: relations with the West and the country's nuclear program.
WASHINGTON, DC – The decision of former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami not to seek the presidency again has revealed how muddled Iranian presidential politics now is. In trying to sort out this muddle, the most important thing to keep in mind is not so much who will be elected, but what that choice will reveal�about the intentions of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.