A Second Term for Hassan Rouhani? Not So Fast

Medium

UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky: "With Iran’s former chief executive Mahmoud Ahmadinejad effectively out of the picture after being “advised” by the Supreme Leader not to enter the 2017 election, observers across the globe have been breathlessly arguing that President Hassan Rouhani’s path to victory has been cleared. For instance, Iranian scholar, Ali Omidi, wrote this month that “all the political conditions for the smooth re-election of Rouhani seem to be in place.” But such prognostications overlook three main factors that will continue to plague President Rouhani for the duration of his term — the targeting of his cabinet; the imprisonment of dual-nationals and political dissidents; and the doubling down of Tehran in its regional and terrorist machinations. All undermine the confidence at home and abroad in President Rouhani’s ability to lead beyond the confines of the nuclear file."