Iran’s Challenges in Rouhani’s Second Term
AUGUST 25, 2017 BY HESHMAT ALAVI he second term of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has officially begun. His first four years were experienced by the people of Iran , the region and the international community. It is necessary to discuss the challenges his second term will pose. The most important matter in Iranian politics is the issue of hegemony, authority and power. As long as the regime is formed around the supreme leader, known as the velayet-e faqih , the presidency and his executive branch will literally be functioning to his service and demands. In such a structure, the president in the Iranian regime, now Rouhani , literally enjoys no authority. Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami once described his role as a mere “procurer.”