Bobby Ghosh, Columnist

Iran’s Next President Could Be a Military Man

A win by a candidate from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would be a break from tradition.

October 13, 2020 at 3:59 AM UTC

Bobby Ghosh is a senior editor in the digital weekend team. Previously, he was a columnist at Bloomberg Opinion, where he wrote mostly about international affairs and culture.

From men in black to men in green?
Photographer: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

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Who shall guard the Guards? At the start of the campaign for next summer’s presidential election, Iran faces the militarization of its political institutions. The strongest candidates to replace President Hassan Rouhani in June come from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country’s most muscular military arm.

Early indications suggest Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan as a leading contender. Among his likely rivals are Parviz Fattah and Saeed Mohammad. All three men are from the IRGC: Dehghan, a former defense minister, is an advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; Fattah runs the Moztazafan Foundation, a Khamenei-controlled business and financial conglomerate; Mohammad heads Khatam al-Anbia, the IRGC’s construction and engineering wing.