iranian results

i know very little about iran and will not presume to be able to fully cover the fallout of these results, but as iran is physically and psychologically nearby to my countries of interest, i feel as though i should make an exception to my arab-centric coverage. this could portend dramatic change, and thus it does broker mention here.

arch conservative mahmoud ahmadinejad defeated centrist akbar hashemi rafsanjani in the friday 25 june presidential elections in iran. ahmadinejad is the mayor of tehran and a noted traditionalist. his election means that every branch of the iranian government now reflects conservative interests. rafsanjani has publicly denounced the election results, claiming that there was a systematic pattern of intimidation and vote manipulation. he does not, however, plan to contest the election results. i would imagine this is a strategic and defensive move on his part, if the electoral corruption is as widespread as rafsanjani claims, there is little likelihood that his complaints would broker much sympathy with the higher powers. they might even find it fit that he spends some time realizing the consequences of advancing such claims.

i would like to note washington's reaction, which is in keeping with what i had heard coming out of the state department last week. a friend of mine who spent some time meeting with people last week reported back to me recently that the line DC was preparing to take on the elections would be skeptical, and that in all likelihood the US would refuse to condone the results as fully legitimate. in seeing their initial reaction, this seems to be exactly how they are handling it, remaining decidely nonplussed about the entire affair. ahmadinejad has stated publicly that he sees little value in improving relations between the US and Iran, and has it has been noted that he will likely be an uncooperative partner in renegotiating Iran's nuclear ambitions with the international community.

more speculation on monday, today i need to go back to sleep.