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☆ The killing of a top Hamas leader in its backyard is 'humiliating' for Iran, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewIsmail Haniyeh, the leader of the political wing of Hamas, was killed on Wednesday. Ismail Haniyeh (left) meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. According to Middle East and military experts, Haniyeh's death is a "humiliating" blow to Iran. A new phase of brinkmanshipTensions between Israel and Iran were high even before Haniyeh's killing. MOSAB SHAWER/AFP via Getty ImagesSince Hamas launched terror attacks on Israel on October 7, groups allied with Iran — the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah — have targeted Israel, with attacks sometimes spilling over into neighboring countries and directly involving Iran.

Persons: —, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Nobody, Israel didn't, Andrew Fox, Henry Jackson, Fox, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Ameneh, Farzan, MOSAB SHAWER, Burcu, Fuad Shukr Organizations: Service, Business, Iran's, KHAMENEI.IR, Getty Images, Henry, Henry Jackson Society, New York Times, East, Global Governance Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute, BI, West, Getty, —, Middle East Security, Royal United Services Institute, Fox Locations: Iran, Tehran, AFP, Israel, Middle East, Iranian, West Bank, Hebron, Syria, Beirut, Iraq, Yemen, Red, ACLED, Lebanon

Washington CNN —The White House on Wednesday said reports of the assassination of a Hamas political leader in Iran “don’t help with the temperature going down,” while repeating calls for a ceasefire deal that would see the release of hostages held by Hamas. “These reports over the last 24-48 hours certainly don’t help with the temperature going down. I’m not going to be Pollyannaish about it; we’re obviously concerned about escalation,” White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters during the White House press briefing. In both conversations, according to the State Department, the officials emphasized the need for a ceasefire in Gaza. “It’s too soon to know what impact any of this is going to have on the ceasefire deal,” Kirby said at the briefing.

Persons: I’m, we’re, John Kirby, Kirby, Biden, Antony Blinken, Aaron David Miller, Haniyeh, “ Blinken, ” Miller, ”, “, Blinken, Israel, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Thani, “ It’s, ” Kirby, Hezbollah’s, Fu’ad Shukr, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, John Kirby’s, CNN’s Abeer Salman, Jennifer Handler, Niamh Kennedy Organizations: Washington CNN, House, White House, senior State Department, CNN, State Department, Qatari, Haniyeh, Hezbollah, Hamas, United, Zionist Locations: Iran, Tehran, Singapore, Israel, Qatar, Jordan, Gaza, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Egypt, United States, Golan, Beirut, Washington

Read previewTop Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in Iran, according to a statement from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps early Wednesday. Haniyeh, 62, was the leader of Hamas' political wing. He had traveled to Tehran to attend the inauguration of Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's new president, according to multiple reports. Khan collectively accused Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, and Mohammed Deif, commander of Hamas' military wing, of war crimes and crimes of humanity on October 7. When contacted for comment on Iranian state media reports, the Israeli military told CNN they "don't respond to reports in the foreign media."

Persons: —, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Haniyeh, Masoud, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's, Karim Khan, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Haniyeh's Organizations: Service, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Tasnim, Wednesday, New York Times, Associated Press, CNN, Business, Hamas, The Times, Criminal, Pentagon, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Iran, Tehran, Qatar, Israel, Gaza, Beirut, Golan

☆ Iran has no good options after two deadly strikes on senior allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

ET) in Tehran, will dictate what comes next, as Iran looks to present a narrative that justifies and fashions its response. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is seen with Haniyeh -- hours before his assassination. There is no shortage of furious rherotic the day after the strikes, but there is no easy route for Iran. Iran has also tried an unprecedented direct all-out attack on Israel before, in April, after senior IRGC commanders were killed in an Israeli strike on Damascus. In short, the 300 drone and missiles fired - straight from Iran at Israel - just didn’t get through.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Qasem Suleinami, rherotic, Ahmad Al, Ali Khamenei’s, “, Masoud Pezeshkian, group’s, Fuad Shukr Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guards, Iran's Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Beirut, Lebanon, Golan, Quds, Damascus

☆ Iran says Israel will 'pay heavy price' after death of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Iranian officials are condemning what they say was an Israeli strike on Tehran that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Palestinian militant organization Hamas and Iran's Revolutionary Guard issued separate statements confirming the death of the longtime political leader of Hamas early Wednesday and blamed Israel, which has not yet commented on Haniyeh's death. Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani and former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Rezaei, in separate comments said that Israel will "pay a heavy price," according to Iranian state media. Tehran and other countries that do not recognize the state of Israel frequently refer to it as "the Zionist regime." He was made the head of Hamas' political wing in 2017 before moving to Qatar in exile in 2019.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Alireza Zakani, Mohsen Rezaei, Ayatollah Khamenei, Haniyeh, Hamas Organizations: Hamas, Iran's Revolutionary Guard, CNBC, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Zionist, politburo Locations: Israeli, Tehran, Israel, Iranian, Iran, Qatar

☆ Man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie is charged with federal terrorism-related counts
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Nicki Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie was charged with three federal terrorism-related counts, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday. Hadi Matar is charged with committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and providing material support to terrorists. Matar has already pleaded not guilty to state charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault in connection with the stabbing. Matar recently rejected a state plea deal that would have tied in a federal terrorism-related charge and reduced his state prison sentence. Matar will appear in federal court at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Buffalo, New York, according to court records.

Persons: Salman Rushdie, Hadi Matar, Rushdie, Matar, “, Matar “, Nathaniel Barone, ” Barone, ”, Ruhollah Khomeini, Prophet Mohammed, Nouran Salahieh Organizations: CNN, Chautauqua Institution Locations: New York, “, United States, Buffalo , New York

☆ Iran Pays You to Become Trans, but It Comes at a Cost — Your Dignity
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | Additional Reporting Ida Reihani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

In 2007, The Guardian reported that Iran ranked second only to Thailand in the number of gender-affirming surgeries performed. Related stories"They told me I had two options," she told BI. Molkara, who died in 2012, was instrumental in securing the fatwa that legalized gender-affirming surgeries in Iran. Related stories"The questions were so graphic that my mom, at some point, left the room," she told BI. Homosexuality as a sinJavad Sadidi, a Mashhad surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming surgeries, told BI that the process takes a minimum of two years.

Persons: Varamini, He'd, Becca Kia, I'm, Ajoudani, she's, Vahid, Ruhollah Khomeini, Khomeini's, Maryam Khatoon Molkara, Molkara, Khomeini, Kaveh Kazemi, Legal Medicine Organization —, Pooya, Eugene Gologursky, it's, Sadidi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, SPENCER PLATT, Elina, Shadi Sadr, who's, Soheil, he's Organizations: Business, Guardian, Eleos, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Revolutionary Guard Corps, State Welfare Organization of, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Legal Medicine Organization, BI, Columbia University, Justice, Tristar Media, United, Lancet, Global Surgery, State Welfare Organization of Iran, Mahtaa Institute Locations: Tehran, Shayan, Iran, Thailand, Tehran's, Islamic Republic, Iraq, London, State Welfare Organization of Iran, Iranian American, Mashhad, Shadi, Iranian, Shadi Sadr, United Nations, Karaj, Canada

☆ Iranian president-elect ready to set relations with Europe ‘on the right path’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Fred Pleitgen | Manveena Suri | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian said he looks forward to improving ties with Europe, despite accusing the continent of backtracking on commitments to alleviate the impact of US sanctions. “Despite these missteps, I look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with European countries to set our relations on the right path, based on principles of mutual respect and equal footing,” Pezeshkian wrote in the English-language Tehran Times newspaper. European countries made 11 commitments to Iran to “try to salvage the agreement and mitigate the impact of the United States’ unlawful and unilateral sanctions on our economy,” Pezeshikian said. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has the final say on all matters of state. Pezeshkian will ultimately defer to Khamenei, who has condemned those seeking improved relations with the West, on matters of foreign policy.

Persons: CNN —, Masoud Pezeshkian, ” Pezeshkian, Pezeshkian, Donald Trump, “, ” Pezeshikian, ”, Saeed Jalili, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khamenei Organizations: CNN, CNN — Iran’s, Tehran Times, United, Iran’s Locations: Europe, EU, France, Germany, Iran, United States, Washington, Pezeshkian

☆ Incumbents pay the price in year of global elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

And elections in Taiwan and South Korea proved the dynamism of the idea that free elections can promote stable governance. The two round French election system once again kept the far-right out of power on Sunday but Macron’s gamble didn’t exactly pay off. An era of political turmoil now looms with a hung parliament, a likely shaky coalition and instability ahead of the next presidential election in 2027. Kevin Coombs/ReutersIndonesiaPrabowo Subianto, a former army general, won the presidential election in the world’s fourth most populous nation, which is home to its largest Muslim population. IranIran wasn’t supposed to have a presidential election this year.

Persons: El, they’ve, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Trump —, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Le, Macron, Keir Starmer, Kevin Coombs, Suharto, Narendra Modi, Adnan Abidi, Imran Khan, Nawaz, Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Sheikh Hasina, Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, Putin, El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, ”, Bukele, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, ObturadorMX, Claudia Sheinbaum, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum, Lai Ching, Yoon Suk Yeol, André Ventura, Peter Pellegrini, Robert Fico, Fico, Nelson Mandela —, —, Macky Sall, Sall, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Masoud Pezeshkian, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Pezeshkian Organizations: CNN, European Union, United States –, France, European People’s Party, Popular Front, Britain Voters, Conservative, Labour Party, Reuters, Reuters Indonesia Prabowo, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, Bangladeshi, Kremlin, El, El Salvador Strongman, El Salvador —, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party, Portugal Incumbents, Democratic Alliance coalition, Putin, Russian, South Africa Voters, National Congress, ANC, Democratic Alliance Locations: France, Britain, Iran, El Salvador, Slovakia, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, United States, India, Senegal, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, London, Reuters Indonesia, Subianto, New Delhi, Reuters Pakistan, Pakistan, —, Bangladesh, South Asia, America, China, Beijing, Portugal, Ukraine, Europe, Senegal Senegal, Africa, Sall, Iran Iran, Islamic Republic

☆ Iran's new president may be a reformist, but change remains distant
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visits to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran on July 06, 2024. Fatemeh Bahrami | Anadolu | Getty ImagesIran on Friday elected its first "reformist" president in 20 years, signaling many voters' rejection of hardline conservative policies amid low turnout of just 49%, according to official figures. Iran's sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili are set to go to runoffs after securing the highest number of votes in Iran's presidential election, the interior ministry said. "This is why many Iranians have lost hope in bringing about change through the ballot boxes and are boycotting elections." "The core structure of Iran's theocratic regime, where a Supreme Leader's authority eclipses that of any president, will remain steadfastly intact… In essence, Iran's theocracy is designed to resist meaningful change."

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Ruhollah Khomeini, Fatemeh, Masoud, Ibrahim Raisi, Sina, Toossi, Massoud Pezeshkian, Majid Saeedi, Mohammad Khatami, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Nader Itayim, Khamenei, Itayim, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh, Hashemi Alireza Zakani, Saeed Jalili, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Atta Kenare, Ben Taleblu, Pezeshkhian, Mahsa Amini, Amini, Mahsa, Ozan Kose, Pezeshkian's Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Center for International, CNBC, Guardian Council, Argus Media, Vehicles, Afp, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, AFP, for Human Rights, Trump Locations: Tehran, Iran, Afrasiabi, Islamic Republic, Mideast, Washington, Pezeshkian, Kurdish Iranian, Iranian, Istanbul

☆ Hopes for a Diplomatic Opening Rise Under Iran’s New President
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With the election of the reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian as president, Iran may see a softening of its absolutist foreign policy and even an opportunity for a new diplomatic opening, current and former officials and experts say. Mr. Pezeshkian, a cardiologist, member of Parliament and former health minister, has little direct experience in foreign policy. But he has pledged to empower Iran’s most elite and globalist diplomats to run his foreign agenda, raising hopes of a warmer relationship with the West. Mr. Pezeshkian “represents a more pragmatic posture and less confrontational posture toward the outside and the inside,” said Dennis B. Ross, who served as a special assistant to President Barack Obama and is a longtime Mideast negotiator. Still, Mr. Ross noted, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “would do a great deal to limit” Mr. Pezeshkian’s international agenda.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Pezeshkian, Pezeshkian “, ”, Dennis B, Ross, Barack Obama, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “ Locations: Iran

☆ Iran elects reformist Masoud Pezeshkian in presidential runoff vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: Presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian shows the victory sign during a campaign event in Tehran, Iran June 23, 2024. Majid Asgaripour | Via ReutersIran elected Masoud Pezeshkian to its presidency, in an unexpected victory for the country's reformist camp amid deep social discontent, economic hardship, and regional war. Pezeshkian won 16.3 million votes, according to reports which cited the local authorities, with the election seeing a 49.8% turnout. The most moderate of the candidates, he formerly served as minister of health under Iran's last reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, from 1997 to 2005, and Khatami among other reformist politicians endorsed him. Iran's sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili are set to go to runoffs after securing the highest number of votes in Iran's presidential election, the interior ministry said.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Majid Asgaripour, Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Khatami, Khatami, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh, Hashemi Alireza Zakani, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Atta Kenare, Ayatollah Khamenei, Sina Organizations: Via Reuters, Islamic Consultative Assembly, Afp, Getty, House, Revolutionary Guards, Center for International, CNBC, U.S, Supreme, Revolutionary Guard Locations: Tehran, Iran, Via, Via Reuters Iran, Washington, Israel, Iranian

☆ Reformist lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran’s presidential vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Michael Rios | James Legge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran’s presidential election, Iranian state news agency Press TV reported Saturday citing the country’s election headquarters, beating his hardline rival in a pivotal vote at a time of tensions at home and abroad. The first round saw the lowest voter turnout for a presidential election since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979. The lawmaker was the only reformist candidate vying for the top elected seat in the country after dozens of other candidates were barred from running. During the 2022 protests, Pezeshkian said in an interview with Iran’s IRINN TV: “It is our fault. Other factors may be more difficult to change, particularly Iran’s foreign policy.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Israel, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir, ”, Mohammad Khatami, Mahsa, Amini, Iran’s, Sanam Vakil, Vakil, Israel “, Israel Katz, Qasem Soleimani, “, aren’t, Javad Zarif, Zarif, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khamenei Organizations: CNN — Reformist, Press, Press TV, Foreign, Supreme, United Nations, North Africa, Chatham House, Israeli, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’ Quds Force Locations: Jalili, Islamic Republic, Iran’s, Iran, Persian, East, London, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’ Quds

☆ Iranians are voting in a presidential runoff. What will it mean for the world?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Here’s what to expect on Friday’ second round of elections, and how the results could impact Iran and the world. During the first round, Pezeshkian led with 42.5% of the votes, followed by Jalili with 38.6%, according to the state news agency IRNA. In a move that shocked observers, the man who led Ghalibaf’s electoral campaign, Sami Nazari Tarkarani, also declared his support for reformist Pezeshkian, Khabar Online reported. People drive past a billboard with pictures of presidential candidates Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili on a street in Tehran, Iran, on Monday. Presidential candidates Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili attend an election debate at a television studio in Tehran, Iran on Tuesday.

Persons: CNN — Iran’s, Ebrahim Raisi, Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Raisi, Hossein Amir, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pezeshkian, –, Khamenei, ”, hardliner Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Jalili, ” Parsi, Sardar Mohsen Rashid, Rashid, Sami Nazari Tarkarani, Ghalibaf, Sanam Vakil, “, ” Sina Toossi, ” Pezeshkian, Toossi, Majid Asgaripour, Iran’s, ” Jalili, Israel sharpens, Israel “, Israel Katz, ” Ali Vaez, Vaez, CNN’s Becky Anderson, Saeed Jalili , Morteza Fakhri, Parsi, ” Vakil Organizations: CNN, Foreign, Guardian Council, IRNA, Quincy Institute, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pezeshkian, Khabar, North Africa, Chatham House, Center for International Policy, Trump, Islamic, International Atomic Energy Agency, UN, Israeli, Group, Reuters Locations: Islamic Republic, Iran, tatters, Israel, United States, Tehran, Washington, Iranian, East, London, Washington ,, Gaza, Lebanon

☆ Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gets powerful ships to confront adversaries well beyond the Persian Gulf
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Read previewIn the last three years, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has commissioned hundreds of new vessels. AdvertisementThe Shahid Hassan Bagheri is one of three new Soleimani-class missile corvettes that are the most heavily armed warships in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's fleet. Despite being lightly armed, it has a record of harassing US vessels and civilian ships in the Persian Gulf. AdvertisementThree Soleimani-class corvettes, Shahid Soleimani, Shahid Hassan Bagheri, and Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, have been commissioned, while a fourth, Shahid Ra'is-Ali Delvari, is under construction. AdvertisementMahdavi will eventually be joined by another converted container ship, the Shahid Bagheri.

Persons: —, Shahid Hassan Bagheri, Morteza Nikoubazl, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Shahid Soleimani, Nazeri, Shahid Nazeri, SAMs, Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, Shahid Ra'is, Ali Delvari, Hassan Bagheri, Abu Mahdi al, Shahid, Alireza Tangsiri, Shahid Mahdavi, 400Y8DYPlr — Mehdi H, Shahid Roudaki, Roudaki, Mahdavi, Lewis B, Puller, Shahid Bagheri, Bagheri, Tangsiri, IRGCN, Ayatollah Khamenei, Nadimi, Saviz, Diego Garcia, Benjamin Brimelow Organizations: Service, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Business, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, Quds Force, Guard, Southern Hemisphere, American, British, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Global Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, Diplomacy, Modern, Institute Locations: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Persian, Gulf of Oman, Hormuz, China, Russia, Taiwan, Norway, Yemen, Makran, Morteza, Israel, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Syria, Mahdavi, West

☆ Analysis: Biden’s campaign wages desperate bid to save his reelection campaign after debate debacle
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Democratic Party grandees, meanwhile, crowded onto Sunday talk shows to try to turn attention away from Biden’s confused and painful debate showing and to put the spotlight back on Trump. But any set of bad polls showing an already-tough reelection bid was seriously damaged by the debate could trigger panic again. The ferocious counterattack by Biden’s campaign, however, is not answering fundamental questions posed in the aftermath of a debate that shattered confidence in Biden’s capacity to beat Trump for many of his fellow Democrats. Voters saw Biden’s reduced and poignant state with their own eyes. Biden campaign manager Jennifer O’Malley Dillon even blamed any poor forthcoming polls on the media and not the president.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Biden’s, Democratic Party grandees, Nancy Pelosi, CNN’s Dana, ”, James Clyburn, Bash, CNN’s MJ Lee, Jeff Zeleny, Putin, Xi, Doug Burgum, “ Joe Biden, Wes Moore, it’s, Trump, he’s, “, —, Biden —, Jamie Raskin, ” Raskin, ” Biden’s, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Barack Obama’s, Utah Sen, Mitt Romney, Obama, alienates, Rob Flaherty, ” Flaherty Organizations: CNN, Camp David, Democratic, Democratic Party, Trump, Union, ” South Carolina Rep, Biden, North Dakota Gov, Press, Top Democrats, Maryland Democratic Gov, CBS, Maryland, MSNBC, “, Trump . Voters Locations: Camp, “ State, ”, Russia, China, Iran, New Jersey, Atlanta, Chicago, North Carolina, Washington, Utah

☆ Four Takeaways From Iran’s Presidential Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Vivian Yee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iranian voters signaled their disenchantment with Iran’s system of clerical rule in the country’s presidential election on Friday, going to the polls in record-low numbers to help two establishment candidates limp to a runoff. That postpones for another week the question of who will steer Iran through challenges including a sickly economy, the gulf between rulers and ruled and a nearby war that keeps threatening to drag Iran further in. But despite belonging to two different camps, neither man is expected to bring major change to Iran, given that they must govern with the ultimate approval of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Here are the most important takeaways emerging from Friday’s election. Only 40 percent of eligible Iranians voted on Friday, according to government figures, a historically low turnout for an Iranian presidential race — even lower than the 41 percent level reported for Iran’s parliamentary elections this year.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Locations: Iran

☆ Khamenei protégé, sole moderate neck and neck in Iran presidential race
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A citizen is seen in front of the candidates posters for the 14th presidential elections on the streets ahead of the early presidential election in Tehran, Iran on June 27, 2024. A low-key moderate and a protégé of Iran's supreme leader are neck-and-neck in the vote count in snap presidential elections marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and social restrictions. More than 14 million votes have been counted so far from Friday's vote, of which the sole moderate candidate Massoud Pezeshkian had won over 5.9 million votes and his hardline challenger former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili over 5.5 million, provisional results by the interior ministry showed. The clerical establishment sought a high turnout to offset a legitimacy crisis fuelled by public discontent over economic hardship and curbs on political and social freedom. The next president is not expected to usher in any major policy shift on Iran's nuclear programme or support for militia groups across the Middle East, since Khamenei calls all the shots on top state matters.

Persons: Massoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Ebrahim Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Khamenei Locations: Tehran, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Hezbollah, Lebanon

☆ Iranians vote for a new president under the shadow of conflict and economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Joseph Ataman | Frederik Pleitgen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The vote takes place amid deteriorating relations with the West, an advancing Iranian nuclear program, and an increasing risk of direct war with Israel. Iranian presidential candidate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s supporters gathered on the final day of campaigning to hear him speak, in Tehran, Iran on Thursday. Some polls have shown increasing popularity for Pezeshkian, with the rest of the conservatives splitting the vote. Khamenei urged Iranians to head to the polls and vote after he cast his ballot in the election on Friday morning. Saeed Jalili, ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator and Iranian presidential candidate, holds a rally in Tehran, Iran, on June 24.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir, Ali Khamenei, Mahsa, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s, Joseph Ataman, Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Khamenei, Amini’s, Pezeshkian, Iran’s, Amirhossein Qazizadeh, Hashemi, Alireza Zakani, Qazizadeh, who’ve, ”, Arash Azizi, Saddam Hussein, Masoud, Morteza, “, Sina Toossi, Narges Mohammadi, ” Ahmad, Ghalibaf, ” Ghalibaf, ” Mariam, Raisi, ” Cheers, ” Mohammad, ” Parsi, Javad Zarif, Zarif, ” Khamenei, Trump, Biden Organizations: Iran CNN —, Foreign, Iran’s, West, CNN, Iran’s Guardian Council, Center for Middle East, Global, Quincy Institute, Experts, Islamic, Center for International Policy, Trump, Pezeshkian, Getty, Washington Locations: Tehran, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Berlin, Iraq, Washington, Washington ,, Shiroudi, ”

☆ Iran votes for its new president amid economic strife, crackdowns and regional war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Iranians will go to the polls against the backdrop of a battered economy, widespread popular discontent and harsh crackdowns on dissent. Iran is also dealing with high inflation, heavy Western sanctions, mounting tensions with the U.S., ramped-up Iranian nuclear enrichment and the Israel-Hamas war. On issues of foreign policy and war, the Iranian president wields some influence and is the country's public-facing messenger. But power and critical decision-making in Iran ultimately lies with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and unelected institutions like the Revolutionary Guards. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks with media after casting his ballot during the Iranian Parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections at the Leadership office in Tehran, Iran, on March 1, 2024.

Persons: ATTA KENARE, Ebrahim Raisi, —, Iran's, Ali Vaez, Rafat, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, Masoud Pezeshkian, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Alireza Zakani, Qalibaf, Jalili, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Masoud, Pezeshkian, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Pourmohammadi, Ayatollah Khamenei, Morteza Nikoubazl Organizations: Western, U.S, Guardian Council, Council, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Supreme National Security Council, Islamic Consultative Assembly, Revolutionary, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, House, Revolutionary Guards, Iran's, Iranian Parliamentary Locations: Tehran, AFP Iran, Iran, Israel, Iranian, Iran's, Washington

☆ Iran's upcoming snap elections: A battle of anti-western hardliners
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Iranian Leader Press Office | Anadolu | Getty ImagesIran is holding snap elections on June 28 following the sudden death of former Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. The election will take place against the backdrop of a battered Iranian economy, widespread popular discontent and crackdowns on dissent. He described Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei⁠ as the country's "only 'voter' of significance." Iran's Presidency | WANA | Via ReutersBut with Sunday's announcement of the approved candidates, "those hopes were largely dashed," he said. It comes after turnout for Iran's parliamentary election in March was also the lowest for a legislative contest in the Islamic Republic's history at 41%.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir, Ibrahim Raisi, crackdowns, Behnam ben Taleblu, Ayatollah Khamenei⁠, ben Taleblu, Nader Itayim, it's, Raisi, Khamenei, Mahsa Amini, Sanam Vakil, Itayim, ATTA KENARE Organizations: Iran's, Tehran University, Iranian, Press, Anadolu, Getty, U.S, Guardian Council, Council, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, CNBC, Western, Argus Media, Reuters, Union for Secular Republic, Human Rights, Chatham House, Islamic Locations: Tehran, Iran, Israel, Mideast, Iran's, Islamic Republic, Kurdish Iranian, East, North Africa

☆ Iran OKs 6 candidates for presidential race, but again blocks Ahmadinejad
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

He withdrew from the 2017 presidential campaign to support Raisi in his first failed presidential bid. Raisi won the 2021 election, which had the lowest turnout ever for a presidential vote in Iran, after every major opponent found themselves disqualified. Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Raisi's vice president, ran in the 2021 presidential elections and came in last with just under 1 million votes. Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others were killed in the May 19 helicopter crash in the far northwest of Iran. Raisi was the second Iranian president to die in office.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Qalibaf, Raisi, Mahsa, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Masoud Pezeshkian, Ahmadinejad, Ali Larijani, Hassan Rouhani, Larinjani, Abdolnasser Hemmati, Eshaq Jahangiri, Mohammad Ali Rajai Organizations: Iran's, firebrand, Raisi, Guardian Council, U.S, paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Guard, Guardian, Former Iranian Central Bank, Iranian Locations: Qom, Iran, Israel, Tehran, Raisi, Russia, Ukraine, Red, Gaza

☆ Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Iran’s ex-President Ahmadinejad to run again for leader, state TV says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s hardline former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has registered to run for president in the country’s June 28 election, organized after the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month, Iran’s state television reported on Sunday. However he could be barred from the race: the country’s cleric-led Guardian Council will vet candidates, and publish the list of qualified ones on June 11. Ahmadinejad, a former member of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, was first elected as Iran’s president in 2005 and stepped down because of term limits in 2013. In 2018, in rare criticism directed at Khamenei, Ahmadinejad wrote to him calling for “free” elections. Khamenei had backed Ahmadinejad after his 2009 re-election triggered protests in which dozens of people were killed and hundreds arrested, rattling the ruling theocracy, before security forces led by the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) stamped out the unrest.

Persons: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ebrahim Raisi, Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “, Khamenei Organizations: Guardian, Revolutionary Guards, Guardian Council, Revolutionary Guards Corps

☆ Iran Prepares to Bury President Raisi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s president will be laid to rest in his hometown on Thursday, capping days of funeral observances after his death in a helicopter crash left the country without one of its highest-profile leaders. The deceased president, Ebrahim Raisi, will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, one of the holiest sites of Shiite Islam. Before that, his body was flown from Tehran, the capital, to the eastern city of Birjand for a funeral procession. Ayatollah Khamenei led funeral prayers on Wednesday for Mr. Raisi and the other victims of the crash before the coffins were driven through the packed streets of Tehran in a large-scale procession. Several had private sit-downs with the supreme leader, who that night visited Mr. Raisi’s family at their home, according to the state news media.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Reza, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Ayatollah Khamenei, —, Raisi’s Organizations: Mr Locations: Mashhad, Islam, Tehran, Birjand, Iranian, Jolfa, Iran

☆ Opinion | A Nuclear Iran Has Never Felt More Possible
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( John Ghazvinian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Up to now, for reasons experts often debate, Iran has never made the decision to build a nuclear weapon, despite having at least most of the resources and capabilities it needs to do so, as far as we know. But Mr. Raisi’s death has created an opportunity for the hard-liners in the country who are far less allergic to the idea of going nuclear than the regime has been for decades. Even before Mr. Raisi’s death, there were indications that Iran’s position might be starting to shift. The recent exchange of hostilities with Israel, a country with an undeclared but widely acknowledged nuclear arsenal, has provoked a change of tone in Tehran. “We have no decision to build a nuclear bomb but should Iran’s existence be threatened, there will be no choice but to change our military doctrine,” Kamal Kharrazi, a leading adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on May 9.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi’s, ” Kamal Kharrazi, ”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, “, Iranian

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