Two Minutes in Tehran — Episode 25

Record Low Turnout in Sham Election Boycott

On July 5th, Masoud Pezeshkian was selected as the Islamic Republic's new president.
His selection came during a runoff after Iranians boycotted elections in record numbers the week before, with polling stations appearing completely empty and voter turnout reaching a record low.
Analysis reports that voter turnout rate was just a bit over 10%, while numbers from regime-affiliated sources multiply turnout rates by three. Even with their inflated numbers, this year's turnout was the lowest on record for the Islamic Republic.

A government that countless Iranians have fled their motherland to escape from continues to try to promote itself beyond its borders. On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines released a statement warning that the Islamic Republic has become more aggressive in foreign influence operations, whether through social media accounts or by use of threat.
According to the statement, the ODNI has "observed actors tied to the
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[Islamic Republic]
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posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and providing financial support to protesters."

In Pezeshkian's first demonstration of what it truly means to be a "reformist" in the Islamic Republic, this week, police sealed the office of Turkish Airlines in Tehran after a disagreement over hijab rules. This comes "shortly after" a phone call between Pezeshkian and Erdogan.
Tasnim News, a regime-affiliated outlet, reported the news after the regime's Judiciary had previously denied issuing the order.