The complex international crisis is a force in this month’s presidential election which sees the return of a major political figure. At last. The waiting is over; the promise fulfilled. The prodigal president has returned to the political fray. With the reluctance characteristic of a man of political acumen and ambition, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani announced his decision to run for a third term as President. In a letter faxed to the Iranian media, Rafsanjani, who wisely kept people – and more importantly, his opponents – guessing until the very last minute, declared that, ‘Deciding to participate in the 9th Presidential election slated for the 17th June has been one of the most difficult decisions of my entire political life,’ adding for good measure that, ‘This is not because I prefer my personal tranquillity over public responsibilities.’
Iran: Prodigal President
The Iranian parliament’s decision to encourage the production of nuclear fuel for electricity generation is a direct challenge to the negotiations with Britain, France and Germany over Tehran’s nuclear programme
