On June 14, Iranians head to the polls in the country's first presidential election since the contested vote in 2009, the aftermath of which saw hundreds of thousands of protesters take to the streets to demonstrate against the results. Here, RFE/RL editors will compile some of the best tidbits from the last few days of the campaign, including comments sent by Iranians to RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
RFE/RL: Do you think the current sanctions approach could turn Iran's population against the United States?
Nasr: I think so because I think people don't think in just black and white. You can dislike your own government and a foreign government at the same time. You can believe that the United States is doing the wrong thing: "Yes, we have a bad government, but you're punishing us and you're turning our country into dust because of that bad government." So, this is not a clean strategy.
I think the Iranian public could look and say that our position is unreasonable, that we're asking them to give up something that many Iranians may take pride in, that they see as a mark of scientific achievement, that they see as the mark of "great power" status, that they see as the protection of the country. That we want that to be given up, but we're not willing to offer anything in return, we're not reasonable. And it's possible that the population will come to gradually blame the U.S. for its policies. We saw that happen in Iraq.
We're not in support of the Iranian public, we're putting pressure on them for something we want and something that they may actually not agree with us [on]. I think the Iranian public is divided on the nuclear issue. That's the best way you can put it -- that not everybody agrees that this is a bad thing and probably many of them buy the regime's line that this is necessary for industry and electricity and the like.
The video below shows supporters of Hassan Rohani marching and singing in the northern city of Ghazvin. They are singing "Yare dabestani-e man" -- the lyrics are below (via Payvand):
My schoolmate
You're with me and going along with me
The alphabet stick is above our heads
You're my spite and my woe
Our names have been carved
On the body of this blackboard
The stick of injustice and tyranny
Still remains on our body
This uncivilized plain of ours
Is covered with weeds
Good, if good
Bad, if bad
Dead is the hearts of its people
My hand and yours
Should tear up these curtains
Who can, except you and I
Cure our pain?
My schoolmate
You're with me and going along with me
The alphabet stick is above our heads
You're my spite and my woe
Our names have been carved
On the body of this blackboard
The stick of injustice and tyranny
Still remains on our body
Gmail users in Iran beware. This from Google's security blog:
For almost three weeks, we have detected and disrupted multiple email-based phishing campaigns aimed at compromising the accounts owned by tens of thousands of Iranian users. These campaigns, which originate from within Iran, represent a significant jump in the overall volume of phishing activity in the region. The timing and targeting of the campaigns suggest that the attacks are politically motivated in connection with the Iranian presidential election on Friday.
Supporters at a rally in Shiraz for Hassan Rouhani shouting the name of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi
07:5513.6.2013
Two different polls, but largely the same numbers -- the election will go to a second round and it will be Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf against Hassan Rohani. From RFE/RL's Mardo Soghom:
In its latest survey on the candidates, conducted in the last two days, Mehr public opinion survey center in Tehran says Qalibaf, the current mayor of Tehran and a former security official, is the front-runner with 17.8 percent support. The research is a sampling of the views of 800 people in 31 provincial centers. Mehr is related to the semiofficial news agency of the same name and is regarded as close to conservatives.
Another organization, U.S.-based IPOS (Information and Public Opinion Solution), which is polling people in Iran by telephone, reports that Rohani's rating has climbed from 14.6 percent in the last two days to 26.6 percent and puts Qalibaf at 24.8 percent in the same survey. IPOS is a private group headed by well-known Iranian sociologist and pollster Hossein Ghazian, who based in the United States.
