USA TODAY International Edition
Iran’s election could have impact on nuclear deal
U. S. keeps agreement in place but imposes penalties for missiles
Iran will choose a leader Friday, and the result could have farreaching diplomatic implications.
Moderate President Hassan Rouhani seeks a second term and faces hard- line conservatives who criticize a landmark nuclear deal with the West.
President Trump has threatened to dismantle the nuclear accord, which he called “the worst deal in history.” Last month, Trump ordered a review of the 2015 agreement.
Wednesday, the Trump administration extended sanctions relief granted under the nuclear deal but imposed economic penalties over Iranian ballistic missile activity. Both moves intend to show the Trump administration as being tough on Iran as it adheres to the nuclear deal. The new sanctions target military officials and others accused of supplying materials for missiles.
Rouhani, 68, whose administration brokered the nuclear deal with world powers, campaigns with the promise of more social freedoms and is favored to win.
His main challenger is Ebrahim Raisi, 56, a cleric with close ties to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Raisi has vowed to create millions of jobs, give generous cash handouts to Iran’s poorest and fix the nation’s troubled economy and its 12.7% unemployment rate. He said the jobs, growth and foreign investment Rouhani promised as a result of the nuclear deal have not trickled down to ordinary Iranians.
“Rouhani promised all the sanctions would be lifted, but where is the change on the people’s tables?” Raisi said in a campaign debate this month.
“A tree that has not borne any fruit in four years will not yield anything positive in the future,” Tehran’s hard- line Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in the debate. He dropped out of the race this week.
Rouhani, a career diplomat educated in the United Kingdom, has asked for patience.
Friday’s election could be a tight contest, carrying the possibility of a runoff if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote. Results are due as early as Saturday.
“Rouhani came to power four years ago telling people that the nuclear negotiation would be successful and that sanctions would be removed,” said Seyed Ali Alavi, an expert on Iranian affairs at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. “Trump’s questioning of the deal has undermined Rouhani’s position.”