Election losers congratulate Iran's new president

Why did the Arab League’s decision come on the heels of a potential war between Israel and Southern Lebanon? And does the low voter turnout in Iran's recent election signify a distrust in the ruling system?

Host Negar Mojtahedi speaks with Roya Boroumand, the Co-founder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center and Dr. Walid Phares, a foreign policy expert on those topics.

When it comes to the Arab league's decision, Phares, who has has advised US presidential candidates, said Washington and the Iran lobby have a big role to play, in his view.

"It's all about the weakness that Washington is showing in international relations," said Phares on 'Eye for Iran.'

Phares believes that stems from influence by the Iran lobby in D.C.

"Those who are forming the Abraham Accord and the Arab coalition are telling the Israelis, look, guys, I mean, we cannot sustain this if the US administration is not even helping you. What do you want us to do? So that's one part. Another part of the Arab League, like the Syrian Assad regime or the Iraqis, who are very close to the Iranian regime or even the Lebanese government under the influence of Hezbollah. Yeah, they're saying we are winning."

In terms of Iran's internal politics, the historically low voter turnout in the first round of the country's presidential elections, signifies a "vote of distrust" according to human rights advocate Roya Boroumand.

"The low turnout means that people don't believe in the legitimacy of the elections. And that is a good analysis because people are much more informed now that they used to be 20 years ago or 30 years ago," said Boroumand.

You can watch the entire episode on Iran's International's YouTube Page or listen to it on Spotify, Apple or Amazon.

Mowlavi Abdolhamid, who abstained from voting in Iran's presidential election this year, highlighted the "disgust" among the public, demonstrated by the record-low turnout in the first round of the votes.

The June 28 presidential election saw a voter turnout of 39.92%, the lowest in the history of the Islamic Republic. In the runoff votes held on July 5, the official figures showed a 10-percent rise in the number of voters, but still over 50 percent of eligible voters boycotted the election.

This significant absence signals a stark "discontent" with unbalanced and inconsistent governmental policies, Abdulhamid said, according to a readout of his speech published by Halvash human rights organization.

The top Sunni cleric said the nation, "overwhelmed" by political, economic, and social pressures, and where the lower classes feel "crushed," will persist in its demands for "justice" and "freedom."

Abdolhamid, expressing deep concern over the political stalemate and lack of representation for the Sunni and Baluch communities, described the situation as a "deadlock," underscoring the need for a profound shift in public sentiment away from traditional conservative and reformist politics. Despite his reservations, he acknowledged Pezeshkian's “victory.”

Known for his forthright opposition to the government, especially after the crackdown in Zahedan on September 30, 2022, Abdolhamid has faced risks and criticism for his stance against the Supreme Leader's policies, especially regarding the treatment of protestors.

His advocacy for ending executions and harsh decrees has positioned him as a contentious figure, facing accusations from conservative factions of aiding the "enemies" of Iran.

"The people of Iran will view any attempts to appease this new lackey (Masoud Pezeshkian) as a treacherous offense to their ongoing movement for liberation and a shameful abdication of moral leadership," Prince Reza Pahlavi said in a post on his X account on Saturday.

Masoud Pezeshkian won the July 5th runoff election with a turnout of less than 50%. In his first post-election speech, he thanked Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying, "If it wasn't for him, I don't think my name would have easily come out of these (ballot) boxes."

Prince Reza Pahlavi referred to the election as a "fraudulent" attempt to legitimize a dictatorship, highlighting the Iranian nation’s rejection of the process.

He said Khamenei’s choice of Pezeshkian as the president and "chief functionary" would not save the Islamic Republic from its "inevitable" collapse and the Iranian people's "certain" victory.

Pahlavi also praised Iranian people for boycotting the election, calling it a "historic" display of national unity and solidarity and a "watershed moment" in the Iranian nation's movement.

He noted that this was the largest display of "nonviolent, civil resistance" against the Islamic Republic in 45 years and emphasized that this is just the beginning of their path to national liberation.

The first round of Iran's snap presidential election saw a voter turnout of 39.92%, the lowest in the history of the Islamic Republic. In the runoff votes, the official figures show a 10-percent rise in the number of voters, but still over 50 percent of eligible voters boycotted the election.

With Iran having joined the MIR payment system, the Russian alternative to Visa and Mastercard, Iranians will be able to withdraw money from Russian ATMs with Iranian bank cards from late August this year, the Governor of Iran Central Bank (CBI) Mohammadreza Farzin announced on Saturday.

“The second part of the plan was to connect Russia's MIR network to Iran's SHETAB. This is a project that the technical teams of the two countries have been working together for a long time, both in the Central Bank of Iran and in the Central Bank of Russia. Fortunately, this work has also been finalized,” Farzin said.

Farzin stated that Iran’s SHETAB system and Russia’s MIR payment systems are now operational, adding that the deal had been finalized during his with Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the Financial Congress of the Bank of Russia in St. Petersburg on July 4th.

“Iranian cards will be able to be used in Russian ATMs, almost in late August. Every person with an Iranian card can receive their funds in rubles from Russian ATMs,” he added.

He added that the second stage of this connection will be for the benefit of Russian nationals in Iran, and in the third stage, Iran's SHETAB cards will be able to be accepted at the point of sale (POS) terminals in Russian stores.

“This plan has three stages. The next stage is that Russian cards will be usable in Iran, and the third stage is that our SHETAB cards will also be usable in their stores,” Farzin stated.

“Masoud Pezeshkian, a candidate close to reformists, became the President in an election where the majority of people did not participate,” she wrote in a post on Instagram on Saturday, highlighting the historically low voter turnout.

Ebadi asserted that Pezeshkian has assumed office amid a backdrop of political and security puzzles following the death of hardliner President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19. She added that Pezeshkian’s presidency is “another step for a third defeat of reformists,” referring to the failures of the two previous 'reformist' presidents, Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, to address the country's woes.

She questioned whether the 'reformists' will now address the concerns of Iranians. Ebadi raised issues such as whether internet restrictions would be lifted or further tightened, and addressed the dire working conditions of workers across multiple sectors in Iran struggling to make ends meet. She further asked whether the quality of life, particularly for impoverished ethnic minorities in Iran's eastern Sistan-Baluchestan province and Kurdistan province in the northwest, would improve, and if the country's resources would be better managed to ensure adequate water in southwestern Khuzestan province are addressed.

"The reformists and moderates entered the political arena to salvage the regime," Ebadi concluded underscoring that without fundamental changes, “the will of the people” could become a powerful force that challenges and potentially dismantles the Islamic Republic.