Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Iran's New 'Moderate' President Unlikely to Ease Christian Persecution


Reports in Western media about the victory of a moderate cleric in Iran's presidential election have raised expectations for change in the Islamic republic, but local Christians doubt the next president, Hassan Rouhani, will be able to alleviate Christian persecution.

"In your Western media, the candidates are divided into conservatives and reformers, as if there is a choice, but let me tell you this: there is no choice. All of the candidates are from Ayatollah Khamenei's team," Open Doors ministry said in a statement, quoting an Iranian Christian believer.

Rouhani, who was Iran's nuclear negotiator during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami before that of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, can be expected to have a say only in the country's economic affairs and a few other civil matters, while matters that concern national security are solely the domain of Iran's supreme leader Khamenei. Read more

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