The lesser evil won

BBC reports:

Reformist Massoud Pezeshkian has been elected Iran’s new president, beating his hardline conservative rival Saeed Jalili. 

The vote was declared in Dr Pezeshkian’s favour after he secured 53.3% of the more than 30 million votes counted. Mr Jalili polled 44.3%.

This is somewhat hopeful.

Dr Pezeshkian, a former heart surgeon, is critical of Iran’s notorious morality police and caused a stir after promising “unity and cohesion”, as well as an end to Iran’s “isolation” from the world. 

He has also called for “constructive negotiations” with Western powers over a renewal of the faltering 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for an easing of Western sanctions.

As I said, better than the alternative.

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