Iran elects heart surgeon as president: scientists are hopeful

[michele catanzaro]

Iran elects heart surgeon as president: scientists are hopeful

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02262-3 

[michele catanzaro]

Can the newly elected Iranian president, reformist hearth surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian, make a change for Iranian researchers, that are vexed by inflation, sanctions and repression? Pezeshkian could run for president only after the approval of the conservative Supreme Leader. He faces a parliament dominated by conservatives and a county partially under the control of hard-line IRGC. There are questions on how much he can really do. But he made strong statements during the campaign. On compulsory headscarf in universities: “We make women and girls hate our beliefs, and this is a disaster”. On student's protests: "Protest is the university’s right". On ideological vetting of professors: "I will change the disciplinary regulations [...] Someone who is a scientist should not be [mistreated] because of his thinking". On negotiations to lift sanctions that cripple science: "We must interact, and tolerate the world". The biggest source of hope is Pezeshkian's past as a scholar. I have talked with scientists to hear what they expect from Pezeshkian. Future actions that will test his real commitment with science include: public investment, improvement of academic freedom ,and negotiations to lift sanctions. To learn more, read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02262-3