The man who could bring peace

by Gareth Smith May 10, 2013

written by Gareth Smith May 10, 2013

Hassan Rouhani’s entry into June’s Iranian presidential race adds a new ingredient. In a crowded field of ‘principle-ists’, Rouhani offers a hardheaded option for voters seeking less populist economic management and a more nuanced handling of talks with world powers over the nuclear program. Best described as a pragmatic conservative, Rouhani is a man “of the system”, a 64-year-old cleric who has since 1989 sat on the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) as an appointee of the rahbar (leader), Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rouhani’s record as the lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the European Union in 2003-2005 — when the reformist Shargh newspaper dubbed him the “diplomatic sheikh” — suggests his victory would increase the chance of a diplomatic breakthrough to ease Iran back from punitive sanctions and the United States and Israel back from attack. His experience is rooted in the Islamic Revolution and Republic, but Rouhani has also

Gareth Smith

Gareth Smith was a distinguished journalist who reported from the Middle East for over two decades. He served as the Financial Times correspondent in Tehran, where he was the chief Iran correspondent from 2003, following his earlier role as Lebanon correspondent. Throughout his career, Smith covered Middle Eastern affairs for leading media outlets, including The Financial Times, The Guardian, and the BBC. He also contributed as an editor to Executive magazine. His work as a freelance journalist in the 1990s, focusing on the politics of Iran and Iraq, paved the way for his appointment at the FT. In 2009, he relocated to the west coast of Ireland, where he balanced freelance journalism with his passion for nature and the land.

The man who could bring peace

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