Topic: Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

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Focus Iranian expectations soar after Rohani's election

The surprise election of Hassan Rohani has Iranians hoping for more freedom less confrontation, but the centrist cleric faces obstacles that could derail change.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rival is Iran's new president

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sees his rival Hasan Rowhani elected as president of Iran. Is the political career of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over?
Hassan Rohani is Iran's next president. What will change?

Political moderate Hassan Rohani defeated a host of conservative challengers to win Iran's presidency. His style is a sharp contrast with that of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Iran's supreme leader pushes Iranians to vote in defiance of US (+video)

Khamenei said that showing up at the polls to vote for a new president would defeat 'enemy' efforts to spread 'disappointment and pessimism.' Officials see turnout as key to government's legitimacy.
Opinion Could today's Iran election be a 1975 turning point?

It’s difficult to predict how Iranians will react to this election. The peeling back of even the veneer of political choice and change may be the last straw for Iranians and eventually lead to another uprising, just as the shah’s 1975 scrapping of political parties helped spur the 1979 revolution.
Global Viewpoint Why boycotting Iran’s presidential election is an act of integrity

In reality, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will decide Iran's presidential election. That is why actively boycotting this election would be an act to regain dignity as well as be a mass, nonviolent uprising that could end a regime that prolongs its existence by moving Iran from crisis to crisis.
Iran votes: Why the Supreme Leader is so desperate to bring out voters

Suffering from a legitimacy crisis after the fraud-tainted, heavily protested 2009 vote, Iran feels immense pressure to demonstrate that people have regained faith in their political system.
Iran hangs spies it says worked for US, Israel

Iran hangs spies: Two Iranian men were executed Sunday, convicted of working for the CIA and Israel's Mossad spy agency.
Iran's presidential race: 'Wild card' entry creates dilemma for Khamenei

Controversial candidates like former President Rafsanjani could draw high voter turnout, but may challenge the supreme leader's ability to control the process of replacing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Ahmadinejad charges? Iranian president cited over election filing appearance

Ahmadinejad charges? The dispute appears to stem from an ongoing confrontation between Ahmadinejad and the ruling clerics in Iran following years of tensions over power struggles.
Why Argentina is reaching out to Iran

Argentina announced it would work with Iran to resolve a deadly 1994 anti-Semitic attack in Buenos Aires. Trade considerations underlie the deal.
Opinion Iran talks: Why time is ripe for compromise

Positive signals from Iran and the United States are encouraging as talks on Tehran's nuclear program get underway, writes a political expert from Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Iran trumpets high turnout in parliamentary elections (+video)

Iran's leaders see today's parliamentary elections as central to affirming their popular support – especially at what Supreme Leader Khamenei called a 'more sensitive period' of tensions with West.
Opinion Ex-CIA spy: History of failed negotiations shows Iran won't deal

President Obama errs in pushing nuclear negotiation, writes this ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Four US presidents tried and failed. The problem lies in Iran's fanatic ideology. Biting sanctions and US overt support for the Iranian people will bring real change.
The Monitor's View Iran nuclear talks depend on the bite of sanctions

The Iran nuclear talks that start Monday in Geneva come after a long year of tougher sanctions and other setbacks for Iran. Obama needs to be cautious about Iranian delay tactics.
12/03/2010 04:12 pm
On eve of Iran anniversary, talk of compromise

Opposition protesters are ready to rally when Iran's Islamic republic celebrates its 31st birthday on Thursday. Observers say both sides may be prepared to compromise after eight months of unrest.
02/09/2010 11:55 am
Global Viewpoint Abdolkarim Soroush: The goals of Iran's Green Movement

A new manifesto outlines the aims of Iran's Green Movement, including a free press and the resignation of President Ahmadinejad.
01/06/2010 09:48 pm
Opinion The unseen bias in Middle East reporting

Journalists defy common sense when they call Fatah 'moderate' and Netanyahu's administration 'hardline'.
09/24/2009 01:00 am
Fresh Iranian protests inconclusive for opposition

Reformists failed to gain the new momentum and international visibility they sought by coopting Quds Day marches, an annual event to show solidarity with Palestinians.
09/18/2009 01:00 am
Global News Blog Do Iran’s hard-liners really believe ‘velvet revolution’ plot?

The indictment of more than 100 Iranians being tried en masse for opposing the regime opens a window onto the world view of those who fear change most.
08/14/2009 01:00 am
Opposition skips out on Ahmadinejad's swearing-in

Leading reformist politicians signaled their intent to continue protest over what they say was a fraudulent election.
08/04/2009 01:00 am
The Monitor's View Why Iran's regime is at odds with itself

Crackdown on dissent only reveals the contradiction of this theocracy.
07/30/2009 01:00 am
Rafsanjani's main message: Don't write off reformists

Within hours of the Friday sermon, grainy cellphone videos surfaced showing crowds surging away from tear-gas plumes and kicking the canisters back toward police.
07/18/2009 01:00 am
Global News Blog In Friday sermon, Rafsanjani criticizes Iran’s crackdown

The influential former president appealed for the rule of law to be respected, an open national dialog, and a release of political prisoners
07/17/2009 01:00 am
Global News Blog 'Death to China' heard at Rafsanjani sermon. Why?

Protesters also targeted Russia. Both countries had quickly recognized President Ahmadinejad's reelection victory last month.
07/17/2009 01:00 am