Mr Rouhani’s 1st 100 days: House full, standing room only in Teheran?

RASHMEE ROSHAN LALL August 3, 2013

Hassan_RouhaniIran’s new president is endorsed by the Supreme Leader today, preparatory to taking office tomorrow with representatives from 52 countries in attendance. Will there really be a change in the way Iran deals with the world?

Don’t expect too much, despite Hassan Rouhani’s Glasgow education and campaign promises of a different approach to foreign policy?

Don’t look for change in the first 100 days. More like 1000 nights. If at all.

For all that he is considered a moderate, Mr Rouhani is a ‘moderate conservative’. He’s not about to start rolling back anything about the state of the nation – one in which he has successively held key positions.

That said, he might talk a different talk.

And the sequence of events is different for the first time since the Islamic revolution. This is the first time since 1979 that the president’s inauguration will be attended by senior foreign representatives, including presidents.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi has said the inauguration would have “11 presidents, eight vice-presidents, two prime ministers, three deputy prime ministers, seven parliament speakers and 11 foreign ministers”, adding that limited space made it difficult for other countries to attend. So it was house full, standing room only in Teheran?