the extremist leadership’s practices in Iran will increase the number of adversaries among the Iranian people and within the regime itself. This will most likely prompt the Iranians to side with a man who takes a middle-of-the-road stand, namely Rafsanjani. The difference between Rafsanjani and the moderate former President, Mohammad Khatami, who is running again as a presidential candidate, is that Rafsanjani wields real power on the ground and is closer to succeeding Khamenei.
