Although the defeat of multiple hard-line candidates by a moderate in Iran’s Presidential election was welcomed by many in the US and Israel, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the new leader is unlikely to make any reforms that would displease the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The victory of reformist candidate Massoud Pezeshkian may have been a move in the right direction but is not enough to restart a dialogue, he cautioned.
“We have no expectation that this election will lead to a fundamental change in Iran’s direction or its policies,” Miller told reporters.
Since Iran’s 1979 Revolution, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made all of the country’s major decisions.
Miller added, “If the new president had the authority to take steps to curtail Iran’s nuclear program, to stop funding terrorism, to stop destabilizing activities in the region, those would be steps that we would welcome,” Miller said.
“But needless to say, we don’t have any expectation that that’s what’s likely to ensue.” He concluded.
