A number of false assumptions have continued to cloud the coverage of the ongoing re-negotiation between the U.S. and Iran of a new iteration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – ‘nuclear deal’ – from which Washington unilaterally withdrew in May 2018. The most pertinent one – particularly after the election of new president Ebrahim Raisi in Iran on 18 June – is the false premise that politicians in Iran can be characterised as ‘moderate’ or ‘hardline’. “It is not possible to be a serious politician in Iran unless you absolutely believe in the core principles of those who founded the Islamic Republic,” a senior source close to Iran’s administration exclusively told OilPrice.com . “At the centre of these guiding principles is the concept of Velayat-e-Faqih, which means that all serious political and religious authority is entrusted to the Shia clergy, which makes all key decisions for […]