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Conservatives Unite in Tehran to Maintain Parliamentary Control

Iranians pass by a booth displaying campaign posters on Saturday (AFP)
Iranians pass by a booth displaying campaign posters on Saturday (AFP)
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Conservatives Unite in Tehran to Maintain Parliamentary Control

Iranians pass by a booth displaying campaign posters on Saturday (AFP)
Iranians pass by a booth displaying campaign posters on Saturday (AFP)

Key factions within the Iranian conservative camp have agreed on a joint list for the upcoming legislative elections in Tehran. This agreement comes amidst efforts by authorities to encourage voter turnout.

Government sources reported on Sunday that the “Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces” political alliance, led by current parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the hardline “Front of Islamic Revolution Stability,” have agreed on a unified list of candidates.

They aim to maintain control over 30 constituencies in Tehran and its suburbs.

Ghalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, will lead the list alongside Morteza Aghatehrani, a hardline cleric and current member of parliament.

The joint list has been confirmed as final by both sides. There were discussions between the factions before reaching this agreement.

Despite earlier reports suggesting a change in Ghalibaf’s electoral district, he remains at the forefront of the conservative list in Tehran.

Some conservative figures have voiced concerns about the increasing number of electoral lists, which could boost the chances of independent or moderate-conservative aligned candidates.

Confirmation of Ghalibaf’s candidacy in Tehran came alongside news that a member of his team, Deputy Mohsen Dehnavi, had agreed to withdraw. This decision followed allegations of bribery involving an Iranian factory owner.

Efforts to encourage voter turnout have intensified amid concerns over public discontent and economic challenges due to US sanctions.

These elections follow widespread protests in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini during police custody over a veiling dispute.

President Ebrahim Raisi hopes for a robust parliament to support the people and government, while Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian sees every vote as a statement of Iran’s standing internationally.

Key players in the reformist camp are leaning towards staying out of the elections after their main candidates refused to run, demanding certain conditions be met first.

However, former conservative lawmaker Ali Motahari, with support from moderates, recently announced the formation of the “Voice of the People” electoral list, which includes some reformists, moderates, and independents.

Last week, prominent reformist activists criticized a statement signed by 110 reformist activists, some living outside Iran, urging participation in the elections.

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Iran, Europeans Test Diplomacy with Trump Term Looming

Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
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Iran, Europeans Test Diplomacy with Trump Term Looming

Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)

European and Iranian officials made little progress in meetings on Friday on whether they could engage in serious talks, including over Iran's disputed nuclear program, before Donald Trump returns to the White House in January, diplomats said.

The meetings in Geneva, the first since this month's US election, come after Tehran was angered by a European-backed resolution last week that criticized Iran for poor cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

"Another round of candid discussions with PDS (political directors) of France, Germany and United Kingdom," Iran's former ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on X. "It was agreed to continue diplomatic dialogue in near future."

A European official said there had been nothing of note in the meeting, but that Tehran had shown an eagerness to explore how diplomacy could work in the next few weeks.

Trump, who after pulling the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers pursued a "maximum pressure" policy that sought to wreck Iran's economy, is staffing his new administration with noted hawks on Iran.

Iran's deputy foreign minister and senior nuclear negotiator Majid Takhtravanchi met the EU's coordinator Enrique Mora on Thursday evening before holding various talks on Friday with the European diplomats, known as the E3.

While Trump's return to power leaves many questions open, four European diplomats said the E3 countries - the European parties to the 2015 accord - felt it was vital to engage now because time was running out.

The level of distrust between both sides was highlighted when the E3 on Nov. 21 pushed ahead with a resolution by the IAEA board of governors which criticized Iran.

They dismissed as insufficient and insincere a last-minute Iranian move to cap its stock of uranium that is close to weapons grade.

Tehran reacted to the resolution by informing the IAEA that it plans to install more uranium-enriching centrifuges at its enrichment plants.

In rare public comments, the head of France's foreign intelligence service Nicolas Lerner said on Friday there was a real the risk of Iranian nuclear proliferation in the coming months.

"Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most, critical threat of the coming months ... possible atomic proliferation in Iran," Lerner said, speaking in Paris alongside his British counterpart, adding the two agencies were defining their strategy.

A European official had earlier said the primary aim in Geneva was to try to agree a calendar timeline and framework to embark on good faith talks so that there was a clear commitment from Iranians to begin negotiating something concrete before Trump arrives.

It was unclear immediately if there had been any such progress.

"If we finalize a roadmap with France, Britain and Germany on how to resolve the nuclear dispute, then the ball will be in the US court to revive or kill the 2015 nuclear deal," the senior Iranian official said.

The E3 have adopted a tougher stance on Iran in recent months, notably since Tehran ramped up its military support to Russia. However, they have always insisted that they wanted to maintain a policy of pressure and dialogue.

Iranian officials say their primary objective will be finding ways to secure lifting of sanctions.

WAR FEARS

The 2015 deal lifted international sanctions against Iran in return for Tehran accepting some curbs to its nuclear program. Since Trump left the deal, Iran has accelerated its nuclear program while limiting the IAEA's ability to monitor it.

"There isn't going to be an agreement until Trump takes office or any serious talks about the contours of a deal," said Kelsey Davenport, director of non-proliferation policy at the Arms Control Association advocacy group.

The talks, which also discussed the Middle East situation and Iran's military cooperation with Russia, took place amid fears that an all-out war could break out between Iran and arch-rival Israel despite a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Iran's Hezbollah allies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he wanted to turn Israel's focus to Iran.

The European powers hope Iran will decide to begin negotiating new restrictions on its nuclear activities with a view to having a deal by the summer.

That would give enough time to implement new limits on Iran's program and lift sanctions before the accord ends in October 2025. It is not clear whether Trump would back negotiations.