Iran’s hardliners are expected to tighten the control of the country in the upcoming parliamentary election amid diplomatic, political, and economic crisis in Iran, Reuters reported.
“Allies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have ensured hardliners dominate the field, removing moderates and leading conservatives and permitting voters a choice mostly between hardline and low-key conservative candidates loyal to him,” the agency said in a report published on Monday.
According to the report, the recent attempts to win parliament seats may lead to campaign for the 2021 contest for president by hardliners.
The current reformist president Hassan Rouhani and Mohamad Javad Zarif have approved hardliners ’internal and external behaviors and there has been no pragmatic sign of objection to Khamenei’s decision both inside and outside of the country.
The tensions between Tehran and Washington have especially raised after pro-Iranian forces killed an American contractor in Kirkuk and attacked US embassy in Baghdad. Two days later, US killed Iranian top general Qassem Suleimani, who was a very close figure to Khamenei, in a strike on his car in Baghdad international airport.
Iran’s supreme leader has also a crucial role in killing and arresting protesters in November.
Reuters revealed on December 23, 2019 that Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered his top security officials to end the protests in November, which resulted in 1500 deaths.
