Iran’s snap elections following the death of former President Ebrahim Raisi have delivered an unexpected result: Though voter participation remained low, Iran’s reformists have made a comeback with Masoud Pezeshkian defeating the hardline candidate Saeed Jalili. The 70-year-old Pezeshkian, a cardiologist by training, is expected to bring moderate foreign policy hands into his government, including some of the key diplomats who negotiated the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA).
How will Pezeshkian’s election impact Iran’s foreign policy? Will he continue Iran’s orientation toward Russia and China, manifested in Iran’s accession to the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, or will he complement it with renewed outreach to the US and Europe? Can Pezeshkian’s election revive serious nuclear talks to achieve a renewed JCPOA? And what impact will it have on Iran’s posture toward Israel’s war on Gaza and the risk of the conflict escalating into Lebanon and beyond?
To discuss these questions, the Quincy Institute held a webinar with Adnan Tabatabai, CEO of CARPO, a Germany-based think tank with a focus on the Middle East, Azadeh Moaveni, associate professor at NYU and former foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine, and Mohammad Ali Shabani, Editor of Amwaj.media. Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute, moderated the conversation.
Download the full webinar transcript here:
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