Iranians are voting on Friday to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a May helicopter crash in the country’s northwest along with the foreign minister and several other officials.
Analysts broadly describe the race as a three-way contest. The candidates include two hard-liners: former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and the parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. The reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, has aligned himself with those seeking a return to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
While 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state, presidents can steer Iran toward either confrontation or negotiations with the West.
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