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Iran’s Incumbent President Hassan Rouhani and Ebrahim Raisi are the main ciontenders in the presidential race of the Islamic Republic, expert in Iran Artyom Tonoyan told a press conference on Wednesday.  

“Hassan Rouhani failed in many ways to fulfill his pledges on reducing the unemployment, solving environmental issues as well as improving relations with the West,” the speaker said, casting doubt on the prospects of easy reelection for Rouhani who had thus exposed his vulnerability to the electorate.

“Conservatives were able to consolidate around Ebrahim Raisi, and the election campaign showed they were able to consolidate to get significant number of votes in the elections set on May 19,” Tonoyan said. The expert didn’t’ rule out the possibility of the second round, likewise the narrow victory of one of the candidates.

In Tonoyan’s conviction, Armenian Iranian relations will continue dynamic growth whoever wins the presidential race in the Islamic Republic, at the same time pointing out the gradual improvement in Azerbaijani-Iranian relations as well, that had been observed since Mohammad Khatami’s presidency (1997-2005). 

The expert doubted the possibility of the Iran’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, suggesting Iran would rather keep solidarity with Muslim Turkey on the matter despite its friendly and warm relations with Armenia.