Close allies: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the man who was expected to succeed him, President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopted crash on May 19 2024.
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Middle East expert Scott Lucas answers our questions about the politicians vying to become the next president of Iran.
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Ebrahim Raisi held substantial sway over Iran’s domestic and foreign policies. So, how will the regime fill his void at a challenging time for the country?
Israel’s air defense system intercepted nearly all missiles fired from Iran on April 13, 2024.
AP Photo/Tomer Neuberg
A long-running conflict between adversaries Israel and Iran fell short of open confrontation – until both countries took more direct aim at each other.
The people’s choice (although candidates for Iran’s parliamentary elections have all been pre-approved by the religious authorities).
EPA-EFE/Abedin Taherkenareh
Candidates have been pre-approved to favour the religious right.
In this Sept. 21, 2022, photo, Iranian demonstrators gather along a street in Tehran.
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Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been forced to accept second-class citizenship, as Shiite religious leaders control most aspects of women’s lives.
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Just as Iran’s centre ground was collapsing under political pressure, Donald Trump offered the hardliners a gift.
He said he’d do it, and he has.
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Iran is a dangerous mischief-maker in the Middle East – but scrapping the nuclear deal will probably make things worse.
Iranian voters, fed up with politics as usual, have demanded the ouster of both Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.
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11 activists have died in prison since Iran’s mass protests were crushed in January. Now, some detainees’ families are keeping a daily vigil outside jails. It’s a sign that unrest in Iran is not over.
University students attend a protest inside Tehran University as anti-riot Iranian police prevent them from joining other protesters.
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Although the unrest that shocked Iran’s ruling elite appears to be over, there are several reasons to think this won’t be the last time disaffected citizens take to the streets.
Time’s nearly up: Iranian presidents Mohammad Khatami, Hasan Rouhani, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
EPA/Abedin Takerkenareh
With a hollowed-out agenda and a cynical attitude to corruption, Iran’s reformist forces have squandered their people’s trust.
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Iran’s main opposition is loath to embrace a new wave of protesters. It may soon have no choice.
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An insight into Iranian media and public opinion in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s speech decertifying the 2015 Iran Nuclear deal.
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The deal will give a much-needed boost to Iran’s economy and lend important support to Rouhani’s government.
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Will President Rouhani, who has spoken up for gender equality, give women a chance in his second term?
Four more years.
EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh
Between an electorate hungry for change and a powerful hardline elite, Hassan Rouhani has his work cut out for him.
Hassan Rouhani does the rounds at the Tehran book fair.
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Handing over censorship to authors and writers themselves may actually make it harsher.
Hassan Rouhani’s supporters have high hopes for a second term.
EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh
The election TV debates have shown the candidates to be out of touch.