Hassan Rohani, the incumbent reformist president, won a landslide 57% of the vote in Iran’s 19 May presidential elections. His hardline rival, cleric Ebrahim Raisi, won 38%.
Iranians thus voted in favor of diplomacy over confrontation and international engagement over isolation: Tehran will continue to abide by the July 2015 nuclear deal signed with the P5+1 group of world powers (MEES, 17 July 2015). This has eased the main economic sanctions and enabled Iran to tap much-needed international investment for its oil and gas sector, albeit with only limited success to date. (CONTINUED - 1150 WORDS)
