Iran to hold presidential run-off on July 5

According to Reuters, a moderate lawmaker will face Iran supreme leader's protégé in a run-off presidential election on July 05, 2024 after the country's interior ministry said on Saturday that no candidate secured enough votes in the first round of voting.

Friday's vote to replace Ebrahim Raisi after his death in a helicopter crash came down to a tight race between a low-profile lawmaker Massoud Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in a field of four candidates, and former Revolutionary Guards member Saeed Jalili.

The interior ministry said neither secured the 50% plus one vote of over 25 million ballots cast required to win outright, with Pezeshkian leading with over 10 million votes ahead of Jalili with over 9.4 million votes.

Power in Iran ultimately lies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, so the result will not herald any major policy shift on Iran's nuclear program or its support for militia groups across the Middle East.

But the president runs the government day-to-day and can influence the tone of Iran's policy.

The clerical establishment hoped for a high turnout as it faces a legitimacy crisis fuelled by public discontent over economic hardship and curbs on political and social freedom. However, turnout in Friday's vote hit a historic low of about 40%, based on interior ministry count released on Saturday.

The election comes at a time of escalating regional tension due to the war between Israel and Iranian allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as increased Western pressure on Iran over its fast-advancing nuclear program.

With Iran's supreme leader now 85, it is likely that the next president will be closely involved in the process of choosing a successor to Khamenei, who seeks a fiercely loyal president who can ensure a smooth eventual succession to his own position, insiders and analysts say.

Anti-Western views of Jalili, Iran's former uncompromising nuclear negotiator, offer a contrast to those of Pezeshkian. Analysts said Jalili's win would signal the possibility of an even more antagonistic turn in the Islamic Republic's foreign and domestic policy.

But a victory for mild-mannered lawmaker Pezeshkian might help ease tensions with the West, improve chances of economic reform, social liberalization and political pluralism.

Pezeshkian, faithful to Iran's theocratic rule, is backed by the reformist faction that has largely been sidelined in Iran in recent years.

"We will respect the hijab law, but there should never be any intrusive or inhumane behaviour toward women," Pezeshkian said after casting his vote.

He was referring to the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, in 2022 while in morality police custody for allegedly violating the mandatory Islamic dress code.

The unrest sparked by Amini's death spiraled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran's clerical rulers in years.

Bennett and Iran animosity

Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel, has said that the theory of “killing Iran with 1000 knife wounds is similar to what happened to the former Soviet Union”. Doesn’t he sound delusional?

In an interview with the Israeli Ynet daily, Bennett said, “… but Iran itself, which is the root of evil, is safe. Here is a cold war going on, we are changing this equation, we are trying to weaken Iran in all dimensions economically, socially and security-wise. We act more and do not give up.”

The notion of comparing Iran to the Soviet Union, and the current status of the Islamic Republic with the 1985-1989 of the Soviet Union shows how far Bennett is from the ground reality.

What is going on in Tehran is that the country is by no means isolated. The Belt and Road Initiative put forward by China and Iran’s active participation in the initiative, 25-year Iran-China cooperation document, the soon-to-be-signed 20-year cooperation document with Russia, and so many more examples clarify Iran’s position as a regional and even trans-regional power. 

In some rather insulting remarks, the Israeli prime minister said, “I look at Iran as an ongoing campaign. Iran has been an octopus for decades, its arms encircling the falcons in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, and the falcons fall into its trap and bleed. We have dramatically increased the range of attacks as well as the type of attacks and the quality of the targets. This creates a problem for Iran.”

The delusional Bennett seems to have forgotten how its Iron Dumb was penetrated in the 12-day war against Gaza. The fact that Bennett thinks he has created problems for Iran is a true reflection of a pathological liar who wants to mend his reputation after only seven months in office. 

In response to a question about “a thousand knife wounds” strategy that the Tel Aviv regime dreams of implementing, Bennett said, “A thousand blows is not like that.

Remember the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union? Did the Americans attack the Russians? No, but they were able to crush them wisely.”

He continued, “We must act without interruption until they leave here. What are you doing here? What do you think you are doing In Syria? What do you think you are doing at our borders?”

Someone needs to ask Bennett the same questions. What is Israel doing in West Asia? Where is this regime’s status in the economic, political and sociological equations of the region? 

The regime with a dark history of trespassing, colonizing and occupying other people’s lands is in no place to talk about a rich civilization like Iran who has been present in the region for more than 2500 years. 

Regardless of the fact that Israel is not able to confront Iran at all, Bennett seemingly has taken some time off of repairing an Iron Dome full of holes. 

Struggling with a cyberspace that is full of holes, leaks of the military forces with their ID numbers on the internet, a war minister with a housekeeper who turned out to be a spy and so many other crises in only seven months, Bennett can’t keep quiet, and seems to be giving interviews which are full of lies.