Highlights June 18 presidential election to shape Iran’s oil sector Frontrunner Raisi’s camp says downstream may be priority Iran may look to China, Russia, with western IOCs sidelined Iranians will head to the polls June 18 to select a president who will face the challenges of clinching a nuclear deal to lift sanctions and reviving the country’s oil and gas sector — along with its ailing economy. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now Conservative judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi is the frontrunner, though observers say he could see a stiff challenge from former Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, a reform-minded moderate. Whoever wins will inherit an oil industry that is still robust but suffering from years of underinvestment. Iran pumped 2.43 million b/d of crude oil in May, according to the latest S&P Global Platts survey of OPEC production, down from a pre-sanctions […]