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The second round of the presidential elections in Iran on Friday, 5th July, is not only a continuation of the clash between pro-Western liberals and traditionalists attached to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and determined to maintain the independence of Persian civilisation.
The choice of the Iranians may also have serious international implications, affecting the situation in Palestine, within the so-called Fertile Crescent (Lebanon-Syria-Iraq), and even the result of the US presidential elections.
Who Assassinated President Raisi?
Only 39.93 percent of Iranians went to the polls on 28th June 2024.
This is the lowest turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic, which has clearly not yet recovered from the shock of the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, perhaps not liked by everyone but widely respected.
His death in a plane crash on 19th May is widely considered to the assassination inspired either by Zionists and Americans, or by the members of corrupt elites whom the president ordered a ruthless fight against. In the unanimous opinion of the Iranian faithful, Ebrahim Raisi had the highest predispositions to become, after the end of his almost certain second term, the future spiritual leader of Iran, of course through the longest possible life of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and in accordance with the tradition strengthened by the example of Great Ayatollah Khomeini. The criminals who committed the attack clearly wanted not only to interrupt Raisi’s presidency and destroy the threat of his re-election, but also to disrupt the entire political continuity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. And so far, they continue to do everything to complete such a destructive work.
Love’s Labour’s Lost
I was in Iran during the 2017 presidential campaign, won overwhelmingly by reformist candidate Hassan Rouhani (image on the right), who promised to quickly lift international sanctions against the Republic by reaching an agreement with a U.S.-led coalition interested in ending Iran’s nuclear program. Ebrahim Raisi, who was defeated in those elections, warned that the West cannot be trusted and all the false promises are and intended only to further weaken Iran’s economic and military potential. The course of events very quickly proved that Raisi’s position was right, and the liberal bloc was also severely disgraced by corruption, widespread under President Rouhani’s rule.
I also remember well the situation in Iran before the 2021 presidential elections. It has been perfectly summarised by the Supreme Leader himself, the great Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on candidates to compete for programs and to focus on solving real problems, especially socio-economic:
“People don’t care about candidates’ views on social media or foreign policy. Our people are worried by things like unemployment and low income, in particular being the result of wrong policies that suppress national production.”
That was the real reason why the people Iran supported the real God’s Man, Ebrahim Raisi. Even his greatest enemies always have to admit that he was a politic who had never involved in even the slightest scandal. He was always incorruptible and steadfast and He guaranteed that enemies of Iran have not been able to bribe the Iranian elites in a purpose of social ties breakdown and the destruction of the society, what happened for example to the Central European countries and all other societies affected by the disease of democratisation, liberalisation and any pro-Western political transformation. Today, however, that fight must be repeated again.
Consolidation
Images are licensed under CC BY 4.0
Of the six candidates registered by the Council of the Guardians of the Revolution, four finally took part in the first round, including Saeed Jalili, forcing the continuation of the Raisi’s line and loyalty to the Supreme Leader’s instructions, and Masoud Pezeshkian, announcing a return to the Rouhani’s line, once discredited, but still attractive to many today.
Jalili, a disillusioned long-time negotiator with the West, was ultimately supported by, among others, the incumbent vice president of Iran, Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, and the mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani.
The third in the race, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, who was considered a candidate particularly close to military circles, also called for voting for Jalili.
Pezeshkian, however, is supported by the liberal establishment from the past, including former president Mohammad Khatami and former speaker of Parliament Mahdi Karroubi.
So we are dealing with a clash similar to those in 2017 and 2021, a clash that would not have happened without the death of Raisi, who was unanimously considered to be certain of re-election.
Only the president’s death gave the liberals a chance, and Pezeshkian obtaining 44.36 percent of votes in the first round keeps these hopes alive.
Zionists Just Wait…
Though, Dr. Jalili is now the hope of both traditionalists, gained around the Supreme Leader, and populists of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in whose administration the current candidate served as deputy minister of foreign affairs for European and American affairs, must unite.
For both groups, Iran’s unilateral surrender to the demands of Western negotiators equals to defeat in an undeclared but ongoing war with Tel Aviv, which is only waiting for the disarmament of the Islamic Republic to attack Lebanon and Syria again and complete the pacification of the Palestinian territories.
The election of Dr. Pezeshkian, a former health minister calling for compromise with the West, may be the final death sentence for Gaza, the Palestinian Autonomy, and ultimately also Beirut and Damascus. The Zionists will not forget Tehran’s drone attack that compromised their anti-aircraft defence, and they want to take revenge through ballot boxes filled by Iranians tormented by sanctions. However, they should not forget about other important international circumstances: the US presidential elections and the expected change of Government in the UK.
Best Friends of Israel
Both Donald Trump and Sir Kier Starmer announced a significant tightening of Anglo-Saxon policy towards Tehran after their expected election victories.
For Trump, the war with Iran would become the final proof that he is “Israel’s greatest friend” among American presidents, and the leader of the British Labour Party would thus culminate his campaign of ruthlessly eliminating all critics of Zionism and opponents of the genocide in Gaza from the ranks of the Labor Party. Even being victorious, but at the same time unable to openly war with China (as he would like), nor able to end the war in Ukraine (which the Washington establishment will probably not allow him to do), Trump will face the huge temptation of a third armed conflict, in the Middle East, with an attempt at land including the invasion of Iran. It would be naive for the Iranians to believe that they would avert such a threat by choosing a capitulator ready to hand over the Republic to Western foundations and globalist capital.
If the battered and frightened inhabitants of Iran choose shame, they may get war too.
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Konrad Rękas is a regular contributor to Global Research.
Featured image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Attribution: Tasnim News Agency
