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  "authors": [
    "Karim Sadjadpour"
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    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
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Source: Getty

In The Media

Iran’s Presidential Election

The election of new Iranian president Hassan Rowhani is a very slight move in the right direction for Iran.

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By Karim Sadjadpour
Published on Jun 23, 2013
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Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

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Source: C-SPAN

Speaking to C-SPAN's Washington Journal, Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour discussed the recent election of new Iranian president, Hassan Rowhani, and the impact his election will have on regional dynamics. Sadjadpour explained that Iranian presidents have long sought to claim more independence but that Rowhani is just as part of the establishment as any other politician. Sadjadpour argued that Rowhani's win is evidence of Iranians voting against the status quo after a decade of debilitating economic sanctions and an increasingly hostile foreign policy under the leadership of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Although Rowhani is limited in what he can do, the Obama administration is hoping build confidence with Iran to work on a number of critical issues like the ongoing Syrian crisis, Sadjadpour concluded.

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

    Recent Work

  • Q&A
    What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now

      Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright

  • Q&A
    How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps

      Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour
Political ReformMiddle EastIran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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