Financial Times: Iran’s Divided Electorate Unites Behind Foreign Policy Stance

Foreign policy unites an otherwise divided Iranian electorate. Voters expect security and maintain that requires close ties and even interventions in neighboring states. “Iran’s Quds Force, the wing of the elite Revolutionary Guards responsible for operations abroad, is providing crucial support to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in his country’s six-year war and is active in Iraq, Afghanistan and, allegedly, the conflict in Yemen,” reports Financial Times, Voters express concern about attacks by the Islamic State and contend that Iran, as a Shia state and target for the terrorist group, has every reason to combat extremists in other countries. Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-dominated states express concern about growing Iranian influence in the region. The candidates pledge to stick with the agreement that limits Iran’s nuclear activities, and both have avoided antagonizing the Trump administration. Otherwise, specific details and plans for foreign policy are vague. The article goes on to note that “The race between [incumbent Hassan] Rouhani and a hardline cleric [Ebrahim Raisi] has been dominated by rows over inequality and corruption.” – YaleGlobal