Hope & scepticism in Iran

A reformist becoming President will test the nation

The victory of a self-styled reformist and wild card candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, in Iran’s runoff vote for the presidential elections has been greeted by mild hope but more scepticism around the world. Mr Pezeshkian, 69, a former heart surgeon, beat hardliner Saeed Jalili in an election necessitated by the death of sitting President Ebrahim Raisi in an air crash in May. He has hit the right notes in his acceptance speech by promising not to abandon the Iranian people “in the difficult road ahead” and seeking their cooperation. That road includes managing an economy that has been