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What Washington Needs to Understand about Iran's Presidential Election
(Washington Examiner) Amir Basiri - The upcoming May 19 presidential election will not result in any fundamental change in the Iranian regime's behavior. "One should not expect a major shift in Tehran's policies after the elections. It will be a huge folly and totally misguided approach by the West to pin any hope on the results of this election," said former Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi. Mohammad Mohaddessin, foreign affairs chairman of the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran, noted that the presidency in Iran lacks any significant authority. "Any flow of state of affairs in the clerical regime is in the hands of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his office, and the IRGC." The two leading candidates are Ebrahim Raisi and incumbent President Hassan Rouhani. Raisi, a confidant of the supreme leader, is known for his role in the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners. Rouhani has presided over 3,000 executions during his tenure as president, far beyond his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The writer is an Iranian human rights activist.