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Rouhani’s conservative rivals to not abandon nuclear deal: expert

Politics Materials 30 April 2017 11:04 (UTC +04:00)
Rouhani’s conservative rivals to not abandon nuclear deal: expert

Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Umid Niayesh – Trend:

If President Hassan Rouhani loses the upcoming presidential election to his conservative rivals, the nuclear deal signed between Iran and the six world powers in 2015 will not face serious challenges, Daniel Serwer, a conflict management professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and director of its ‎Conflict Management Program believes.‎

"I think the nuclear deal was a good one from Iran's perspective. Tehran will not abandon it readily, even if Rouhani loses," Serwer told Trend commenting about the future of nuclear deal if conservatives win in the upcoming presidential election.

The real fear is that the conservatives might intensify IRGC efforts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Serwer, a former US diplomat said.

"But my sense is that Iranians are getting impatient with their soldiers dying in foreign wars. Maybe there isn't a whole lot of support for doing more."

Serwer, responding to a question about possible serious steps by Rouhani to settle the Middle East conflicts if elected for a second term, said Iranian policy in the Middle East conflicts is pretty clearly under control of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the IRGC.

"Neither will allow Rouhani any control over what they decide to do."

The presidential election in Iran is scheduled for May 19. President Rouhani, Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, the custodian of Razavi holy shrine Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, former culture minister Seyed Mostafa Agha Mirsalim and reformist politician Mostafa Hashemi-Taba were the only qualified among more than a thousand candidates.

The conservatives support Raeisi and Ghalibaf.

Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh

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