Iran‘s inclement election

by Gareth Smith July 1, 2009

written by Gareth Smith July 1, 2009

The re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the subsequent violence in Tehran deepens the challenges facing American President Barack Obama in his desire for engagement with Iran. Ahmadinejad does not control Iranian foreign policy, but he will probably have a stronger voice in a leadership group where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, is pre-eminent. The stiff reaction from the authorities to the demonstrations reflects a real fear among Iranian conservatives, especially in the Revolutionary Guards, that the “green wave” offered by Mir Hussein Moussavi, Ahmadinejad’s main challenger, was an attempt to repeat the “orange revolution” of 2004 in Ukraine. While Ayatollah Khamenei in March held out the possibility of talks with the United States, he stressed the need for the US to “change its behavior.” Iran is in a strong position, say state newspapers and state officials, and the US is stuck in a quagmire. “The Americans have made

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.

Iran‘s inclement election

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