Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday issued a thinly veiled warning to the only reformist candidate in the country’s next presidential electionssaying that anyone who believes that “all paths to progress” come from the United States should not be supported.
Although he often speaks in parables like many Iranian politicians, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to directly undermine the candidacy of cardiac surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian, 69, who has aligned himself with officials in former President Hassan Rouhani’s administration. Rouhani helped reach the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers, an agreement that Pezeshkian has fully embraced in contrast to his five hardline opponentswho want a deal fully on Iran’s terms.
Khamenei also called for “maximum” turnout in Friday’s vote, which analysts said could support Pezeshkian. The doctor’s rallies have already drawn large crowds in major cities, although it remains unclear whether his candidacy alone would be enough to push an apathetic public to vote to replace late President Ebrahim Raisi. a protégé of Khamenei who died in a helicopter crash in May.
“Some politicians in our country believe that they must bow to this or that power, and that it is impossible to progress without sticking to famous countries and powers,” Khamenei said in a speech on the occasion of the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir. “Some think like O they think that all the paths to progress pass through the United States. No, those people cannot” govern the country well, he said.
Khamenei’s comments in his hour-long speech prompted repeated chants of “Death to America, death to Israel” from a raucous crowd. Khamenei, 85, had to repeatedly urge the crowd to quiet down during his remarks.
Khamenei’s call comes after a parliamentary election that saw record turnout earlier this year. Voters across the capital, Tehran, who spoke to The Associated Press have expressed widespread apathy toward the election, as Iran faces an economy crushed by Western sanctions and after widespread anti-government protests in recent years, particularly after the death in 2022 of Mahsa Amini and women who refuse to wear the country’s mandatory veil, or hijab.
Pezeshkian, little known to the general public before registering for the campaign, has drawn large crowds in Tehran and other major cities. Among his most notable allies is former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifwho led the negotiations for the nuclear agreement.
Khamenei’s comments can also be seen as a warning to Zarif and even Rouhani himself, whose previous administration has since been criticized by hardliners. the collapse of the agreement in 2018 after then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal. Since then, Iran has advanced its program to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels while hampering the ability of international inspectors to monitor it.
Pezeshkian has also been trying to adopt symbols from previous campaigns by popular reformists, who seek to change Iran’s theocracy from within. Her campaign slogan “For Iran,” a call to nationalism rather than religion, mirrors a previous campaign slogan used by reformist former president Mohammad Khatami.
Pezeshkian has also been photographed wearing green bandanas, apparently trying to associate himself with the Green Movement protests of 2009 that hit Iran after the disputed vote and bloody repression that led to conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being re-elected president.
Khamenei insisted on apparently linking the upcoming elections to broader tensions in the Middle East amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
“The Islamic Republic has enemies. One thing that helps the Islamic Republic overcome its enemies is the elections,” Khamenei said. “If you see a good turnout in these elections, the Islamic Republic will be proud.”
However, Friday’s vote comes after Record turnout in Iran’s March parliamentary elections of just under 41%. Similar figures could also be seen in the presidential elections.
If all the hardline candidates remain, they could split the vote against Pezeshkian and force a second round of voting a week later, as Iranian law requires a winner to receive more than 50% of all votes cast. However, it is common for candidates to withdraw after the last debate and unite around a clear favorite.
“Pezeshkian is leading and in the next three days he will definitely widen the gap with the others,” said analyst Abbas Abdi, aligned with the reformists. “Withdrawing won’t help them.”
Noticing how All the levers of Iran’s government had been in the hands of hardliners under Raisi. Without any changes, Abdi added, “the ruling system has made a policy change because it has realized that unifying the ruling system does not work.”
Khamenei’s comments seemed timely to give his opponents ammunition for the last televised debate before the election, which took place shortly afterwards. Pezeshkian did not directly acknowledge the supreme leader’s comments but maintained his stance that talks to restore the deal remained key.
“Who should be blamed for these problems in government offices and for inflation and the prices of meat, bread and housing?” Pezeshkian said, before sarcastically responding: “The United States probably did this too!”
Hardline candidate Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi repeatedly criticized Pezeshkian, particularly his ties to reformists. In one exchange, Ghazizadeh Hashemi attempted to suggest that Pezeshkian’s supporters might protest violently if he loses.
“Who started the riots in the country? Who called people to the streets when they did not come to power? he said. “I am concerned that if Dr. Pezeshkian does not win, his supporters, who have a notable history in this matter, will again allege fraud and call people to the streets.”
Pezeshkian responded by mocking Ghazizadeh Hashemi for promising in the 2021 presidential campaign that he would solve all of the country’s stock market problems in three days. State television broadcast of the debate showed Ghazizadeh Hashemi glancing askance at Pezeshkian before interrupting him.
“I have always taken the side of the oppressed and never the side of the oppressor,” Pezeshkian later said.
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Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat, Nasser Karimi and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
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