Four years ago, Hassan Rouhani won the first round of the Iranian presidential election of that year; as he secured more than 50% of the vote, he won the election outright and no run-off was required. As Iranian presidents have four-year terms, 2017 has been Rouhani's re-election; thankfully, he won:
Not only did Rouhani win re-election but he did so with an increased mandate, with both a larger amount of votes and an increased vote percentage. This is excellent news, as it means that Iranian moderates continue to control the presidency while all the hardline candidates were defeated. It is especially important for people like Rouhani to remain in charge of Iran; given who is currently President of the United States, it would be - unproductive, to say the least - for a loudmouthed and reckless hardliner to lead Iran at this time (or any time, for that matter, but least of all now).
Showing posts with label Hassan Rouhani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hassan Rouhani. Show all posts
Saturday, 20 May 2017
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
The phone call (2)
Back in September, I expressed my feelings of delight that President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had spoken to each other over the telephone. It was the first direct conversation between an American president and an Iranian president since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
Last night, I was pleased to read that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, recently spoke to Mr. Rouhani:
Mr. Cameron is the first British prime minister to call an Iranian president in over ten years. They agreed to improve relations between the two nations and they discussed Iran's nuclear programme. It might not seem like much but it's a huge improvement compared to threats and grandstanding.
By speaking to the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Rouhani has achieved more for improving Iran's international relations in three months than his predecessor did in eight years. I did not expect him to magically fix everything overnight but so far he has kept his campaign promise to mend ties with other nations and work with them.
I'd also like to add that Israel, which considers Iran to be its primary enemy, has expressed its concerns about any deal between Iran and the West; I think that Israel is very much welcome to have concerns but I also think that any deal that emerges stands to benefit Israel as much as it does Iran. After all, the average Israeli doesn't want war any more than the average Iranian, Briton or American does. It would be great if, once a deal finally does come to light, relations between those two countries can begin to heal. I think we'd all like that outcome.
Last night, I was pleased to read that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, recently spoke to Mr. Rouhani:
Mr. Cameron is the first British prime minister to call an Iranian president in over ten years. They agreed to improve relations between the two nations and they discussed Iran's nuclear programme. It might not seem like much but it's a huge improvement compared to threats and grandstanding.
By speaking to the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Rouhani has achieved more for improving Iran's international relations in three months than his predecessor did in eight years. I did not expect him to magically fix everything overnight but so far he has kept his campaign promise to mend ties with other nations and work with them.
I'd also like to add that Israel, which considers Iran to be its primary enemy, has expressed its concerns about any deal between Iran and the West; I think that Israel is very much welcome to have concerns but I also think that any deal that emerges stands to benefit Israel as much as it does Iran. After all, the average Israeli doesn't want war any more than the average Iranian, Briton or American does. It would be great if, once a deal finally does come to light, relations between those two countries can begin to heal. I think we'd all like that outcome.
Saturday, 28 September 2013
The phone call
I was delighted to read that President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a telephone conversation with each other. This phone call is significant because it is the first such discussion between an American president and an Iranian president since the revolution in Iran in 1979.
Back in June, I wrote about how pleased I am that the people of Iran elected Mr. Rouhani, a moderate. I expressed hope that Mr. Rouhani would carry out on his campaign promises, specifically improving Iran's international relations — with the West in particular; since his inauguration he has pursued that goal.
Both presidents seem to have enjoyed their conversation and have considered it productive. I am glad, because I feel that there has been too much talk for the past few years of striking Iran's nuclear programme and I strongly oppose new wars — there is too much conflict already, especially in the Middle East. While I don't support Iran (or any other nation, for that matter) having nuclear weapons, I also don't support any sort of military action against them. Anything that helps to prevent a war, such as this phone call, is beneficial to everyone.
I cannot see why anyone would object to something that would greatly reduce the chances of a new war while improving relations with Iran. Unless they have a deep hatred of Mr. Obama that they will oppose anything he does no matter what and/or are a warmonger, there is no reason to hold a negative opinion of the conversation between the two presidents. We should be glad that they both desire the dispute to have a friendly and mutually acceptable end.
Mr. Rouhani has stated that he'd like the nuclear dispute to be resolved within the next six months. While I think that's a little too optimistic (although I hope I'm wrong and everything is settled in that time), at least he and the West are speaking in much friendlier tones than before the recent Iranian presidential election and are moving towards a peaceful outcome. In that situation, everyone wins.
Back in June, I wrote about how pleased I am that the people of Iran elected Mr. Rouhani, a moderate. I expressed hope that Mr. Rouhani would carry out on his campaign promises, specifically improving Iran's international relations — with the West in particular; since his inauguration he has pursued that goal.
Both presidents seem to have enjoyed their conversation and have considered it productive. I am glad, because I feel that there has been too much talk for the past few years of striking Iran's nuclear programme and I strongly oppose new wars — there is too much conflict already, especially in the Middle East. While I don't support Iran (or any other nation, for that matter) having nuclear weapons, I also don't support any sort of military action against them. Anything that helps to prevent a war, such as this phone call, is beneficial to everyone.
I cannot see why anyone would object to something that would greatly reduce the chances of a new war while improving relations with Iran. Unless they have a deep hatred of Mr. Obama that they will oppose anything he does no matter what and/or are a warmonger, there is no reason to hold a negative opinion of the conversation between the two presidents. We should be glad that they both desire the dispute to have a friendly and mutually acceptable end.
Mr. Rouhani has stated that he'd like the nuclear dispute to be resolved within the next six months. While I think that's a little too optimistic (although I hope I'm wrong and everything is settled in that time), at least he and the West are speaking in much friendlier tones than before the recent Iranian presidential election and are moving towards a peaceful outcome. In that situation, everyone wins.
Saturday, 15 June 2013
On the result of the 2013 Iranian presidential election
A few hours ago, Iranian cleric and diplomat Hassan Rouhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential election; he achieved over 50% of the vote against six other candidates and avoided a run-off.
I'm not an expert on Iranian politics; in fact, I had not even heard of Rouhani until a few days ago. For the most part, I had paid little attention to the Iranian election because I had read that all the candidates were conservatives, with the only anticipated change at the presidential level being the person rather than the policies, however, from what I've read recently, Rouhani was labelled as a moderate and was endorsed by the reformists/Greens and former Iranian presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami (both of whom I have heard about); he was also the head of Iran's nuclear negotiating team but resigned in 2005 after the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
I hope that Rouhani will be a major improvement over outgoing president Ahmadinejad. For the past eight years under Ahmadinejad's administration, Iran has seen reversals in policies implemented by reformist presidents, a tarnished national image from Ahmadinejad's rhetoric, worsened relations with other countries and its economy has been devastated by international sanctions over the nuclear programme, with millions of ordinary Iranians suffering as a result. Two of Rouhani's promises include improving relations with the West rather than continuing a confrontational approach, and working to have the sanctions repealed.
I congratulate the Iranian people for electing a moderate president. Again, my knowledge of Rouhani is limited, but even if he is only half of what the media is describing him as then he'll make a better president than his immediate predecessor; however, Iranians chose a moderate over the conservatives and hardliners, and I doubt they would tolerate Rouhani changing his positions once he is inaugurated. Iran needs a calmer head of government and I'm sure that the world is relieved that another Ahmadinejad has not been elected.
I'm not an expert on Iranian politics; in fact, I had not even heard of Rouhani until a few days ago. For the most part, I had paid little attention to the Iranian election because I had read that all the candidates were conservatives, with the only anticipated change at the presidential level being the person rather than the policies, however, from what I've read recently, Rouhani was labelled as a moderate and was endorsed by the reformists/Greens and former Iranian presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami (both of whom I have heard about); he was also the head of Iran's nuclear negotiating team but resigned in 2005 after the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
I hope that Rouhani will be a major improvement over outgoing president Ahmadinejad. For the past eight years under Ahmadinejad's administration, Iran has seen reversals in policies implemented by reformist presidents, a tarnished national image from Ahmadinejad's rhetoric, worsened relations with other countries and its economy has been devastated by international sanctions over the nuclear programme, with millions of ordinary Iranians suffering as a result. Two of Rouhani's promises include improving relations with the West rather than continuing a confrontational approach, and working to have the sanctions repealed.
I congratulate the Iranian people for electing a moderate president. Again, my knowledge of Rouhani is limited, but even if he is only half of what the media is describing him as then he'll make a better president than his immediate predecessor; however, Iranians chose a moderate over the conservatives and hardliners, and I doubt they would tolerate Rouhani changing his positions once he is inaugurated. Iran needs a calmer head of government and I'm sure that the world is relieved that another Ahmadinejad has not been elected.
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