Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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In this Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009, file photo, Iran’s former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, attends a ceremony organized by his party, a group of pro-reform clerics, in Tehran, Iran, to announce he’ll challenge hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the country’s June 12, 2009, presidential elections. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Iran: Khatami calls on reformists to be patient with Rouhani

by Ali M. Pedram | Jun 21, 2013 | Middle East

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami has advised reformists to be cautious and rational in making demands on president-elect Hassan Rouhani. During a meeting with a group of student activists in Tehran, Khatami called on the reformists to...

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Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani speaks during a press conference in Tehran on June 17, 2013 (AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI)

Opinion: President-elect Rouhani faces inflated expectations

by Amir Taheri | Jun 21, 2013 | Opinion

He is the “moderate reformist” that many have dreamt of. No, he is an apparatchik with little desire to seek significant change. Over the past week, these two contradictory analyses have dominated the debate regarding the election of Hassan Rouhani as the new...

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File photo of Sheikh Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi (courtesy of his official website),

Iran’s top Sunni cleric says next president will face challenges

by Khalid Mahmoud | Jun 15, 2013 | Middle East

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iran’s most senior Sunni cleric, Sheikh Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi, stressed that whoever emerges victorious in Friday’s presidential elections will have limited options with regards to tackling Sunnis’ affairs in Iran. Speaking...

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An Iranian woman walks past election posters of Iranian presidential candidate Ali-Akbar Velayati in a street of Tehran, , Iran, 13 June 2013. (EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh)

Opinion: Fantasy and reality clash in Iran’s elections

by Amir Taheri | Jun 14, 2013 | Opinion

Almost a month ago, Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei described today’s presidential election as “a celebration.” Although not a candidate, Khamenei has remained firmly in the limelight thanks to a series of speeches hammering home that theme. However, a study of the...

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A combo picture made up by the recent pictures taken on various dates at the Iranian Interior Ministry during the registration for Iran’s upcoming presidential election on 14 June, in Tehran, Iran, showing the eight candidates who are accepted by the Guardian Council to stand in Iran’s 14 June 2013 presidential elections. (EPA/Abedin Tahkerenareh)

Opinion: Eight dwarves but no Snow White in Iran

by Amir Taheri | Jun 7, 2013 | Opinion

In Tehran, they call them the eight dwarves. The sobriquet may be unfair. Though unknown to many Iranians, the eight men standing for election as president of the Islamic Republic are prominent figures in the narrow elite that have dominated Iran’s politics for three...