The outcome of Iran’s elections last Friday to its parliament and the key Assembly of Experts were favorable to the United States and to prospects for peace in the Middle East.
The outcome of Iran’s elections last Friday to its parliament and the key Assembly of Experts were favorable to the United States and to prospects for peace in the Middle East.
The voting followed the agreement last year between Iran and international powers China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States in which Iran dropped its efforts to develop a nuclear weapons capacity in return for the removal of economic and financial sanctions.
That accord has prompted a resurgence of a more normal economic relationship between Iran and the rest of the world, except the United States, where Congress continues to drag its feet on sanctions.
The results of the Iranian elections boosted the standing of moderates in the parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which will mean greater support for the positions of President Hassan Rouhani, elected in 2013 and the shepherd of the nuclear sanctions accord.
Yet, it is still important to remember that, in spite of the moderates’ gains, Iran remains dominated by hard-line Islamic conservatives who run the security forces, the judiciary and much of the country’s economy, as well as the parliament and the Assembly of Experts. The assembly “disqualified” thousands of candidates who had hoped to run.
The Feb. 26 elections were as free and fair as they could be in a country still ruled by religious figures led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 76.
Young voters played an important role, but “democratic reform” is not likely to be part of the Tehran government’s agenda. There was no foreign influence in the elections, apart from the positive impact of the nuclear agreement and the resulting economic revival.
It’s time for U.S. companies to be able to reap the benefits. For them to have a level playing field on which to compete with the Europeans and China in Iran’s opening economy, Congress must complete America’s part of sanctions removal.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette