Iran’s new hope: a cardiologist president
He is said to detest the capital, Tehran. Can he master its politics?
The election of Masoud Pezeshkian, a reform-minded cardiologist, as president of Iran on July 5th prompted jubilation. In the hours after the vote, men and women danced in the streets as if the country’s strict dress code were no more. Some speculated that they would now escape the grip of their ayatollahs and of American sanctions. Hossein Derakhshan, a former political prisoner now close to Mr Pezeshkian, chirped that this was “the age of freedom from the cage”.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A new hope, again”
From the July 13th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East and Africa
Israeli retaliation in Lebanon seems inevitable
But it still wants to avoid all-out war against Hizbullah
Why the AI revolution is leaving Africa behind
Large infrastructure gaps are creating a new digital divide
Rwandan soldiers may outnumber M23 rebels in Congo
The prospect of dislodging the rebels is becoming dimmer
Bibi Netanyahu offered spectacle over substance in America
His fourth address to Congress was historic, but held few answers for Israelis
Israel and the Houthis trade bombs and bluster
For now, though, neither side is a strategic threat to the other
The world court says Israel’s occupation is illegal
But will the International Court of Justice’s ruling have any effect?