Today, millions of Iranians are once again headed to the polls to participate in an election that is neither free nor fair, but could still have significant impacts on their lives and on the course of U.S.-Iran relations. 

The big question amid this second-round Presidential run-off is whether or not the reformist in the race, Masoud Pezeshkian, will bring more voters to the polls who stayed home last week. If turnout is similar, Pezeshkian’s hardline opponent Saeed Jalili can be expected to gain votes from many of those who voted for other conservative candidates, and could ride that consolidation of the conservative vote to an electoral triumph.

Knowing that disillusioned voters will be the key to the race, Pezeshkian and his supporters amplified their rhetoric in this last week of campaigning. This includes committing to be a voice in the government against the morality police’s harsh enforcement of mandatory hijab, as well as internet filtering and advocating for the lifting of sanctions. Pezeshkian has also made a point of reaching out to Iran’s minorities, who represent sizable constituencies in the electorate but have deep grievances against the government, including as a result of the harsh violence inflicted against them in the 2022 protests. 

Prominent political activists have a range of views on the election, with many announcing that they will once again boycott while others - like Keyvan Samimi - indicating they will vote for Pezeshkian to try to thwart authoritarian voices in the government and pursue the easing of sanctions. You can read more of our analysis on the second-round election here.

While Iranians make their own decision on whether or not to vote today, we must also speak out about the shocking threats and assaults that took place last Friday outside voting stations in the U.S. and U.K. Regardless of our political views, we cannot be a community that stands for political violence. We can and must do better. See our full statement here.

We will continue to track the elections in Iran and how they unfold in the United States and around the globe, including via our Iran Unfiltered newsletter, which we will update again this afternoon.

Like many of you, we await the outcome of the Iranian election and what this could mean for both the people of Iran and broader geopolitics, and will share additional analysis in the days to come.