Rouhani enjoys Iran backing that matters as foes reject call

Boloomberg

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose public support after a trip to the U.S. outweighed the detractors that tried to pelt his convoy with eggs, also has backing from the one who matters most: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

After returning from a trip to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, dozens of people tried to block Rouhani’s way, chanting anti-U.S. slogans. The demonstrators were upset at a 15-minute phone call with President Barack Obama on Sept. 27, which marked the highest-level encounter between the two governments since before Iran’s Islamic revolution of 1979.
Enlarge image Iran's President Hassan Rouhani

The small number of protesters -- supporters outnumbered them three-to-one -- and praise from Tehran-based newspapers and state television programs, signal Rouhani has the broad political and public backing needed to pursue his diplomatic overture, including the crucial support of Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters.

“A decision has been taken by the Iranian establishment to move in the direction of dialogue with the U.S.” said Mahjoob Zweiri, a professor of Middle East politics at Qatar University in Doha. “Iran knows that the source of trouble is Washington and believes that as long as it speaks to Washington there will be hope for a solution.”

Military Action

Iran’s pursuit of nuclear technology has led Obama and his allies in Europe to squeeze the country’s economy with tighter sanctions, which led to oil output falling to the lowest level since 1990. The U.S. and Israel have also threatened military action to prevent the Islamic republic from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran denies that it’s seeking to do so.

It was his pledge to resolve this dispute and revive an economy struggling with a currency crisis that helped propel Rouhani into the presidency. The election of the former nuclear negotiator helped the Iranian rial recover after losing more than half of its dollar value in the 12 months before his surprising first-round win in June.

West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark crude, has dropped 5.6 percent in September, putting it on course for its first monthly decline since May, as concern receded that the U.S. would attack Syria, an ally of Iran, over its use of chemical weapons and after Rouhani told the UN his nation was ready t