On Friday, in a pre-election debate over the lack of economic revival since his nuclear deal with big powers, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was challenged by rivals.  He claimed that oil exports had resurged and the economy just needed more time to recover.

Elected by a landslide in 2013, Rouhani pledged to end Iran’s international isolation that had crippled the economy, and to ease restraints on society in the Islamic Republic. As he seeks re-election on May 19, his supporters voice disappointment at his performance in office.

Ira¬nian airlines are reportedly supplying arms and equipment to President Bashar Assad’s military and its Iranian allies, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Shia mi¬litias in Iraq, and Houthi rebels in Yemen. This may trigger a crackdown by US officials that will focus on the air bridge between Iran and Syria.

Since the Syrian war began in March 2011, Hezbollah and the Shia militias have played a large part in keep¬ing Assad in power. Assad’s armed forces and the mili¬tias would have a hard time surviving without the airlifts.

Hezbollah has been designated a terrorist organization by inter alia, the Arab League (of which Lebanon is a member) but apparently this has not affected its position as a major political player within Lebanon.

In an article by Neville Teller, who worked in the Civil Service, along with writing for BBC radio commenting on the Middle East political scene for some 30 years, with three books published on the subject, he writes, “Hezbollah has succeeded in infiltrating so deeply into Lebanon’s body politic that it has become a virtual ‘state within a state’.  It not only directly runs a range of social, health, infrastructure and media services, but its heavily armed military wing conducts itself much like an independent army.  Its political bloc, designated “March 8”, holds 57 of the 128 seats in Lebanon’s parliament.”

Iran’s upcoming May 19 presidential election will likely not result in changes regarding the regime’s behavior, and this should not be overlooked during the Trump administration’s major policy review for that country.

“What is worth understanding is the fact that the presidency in Iran lacks any significant authority and this post is under the heavy influence of the Supreme Leader,” explained Mohammad Mohaddessin, Foreign Affairs Chairman of the National Council of Resistance (NCRI) at an online conference they hosted last week with former Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi.

The Iranian News Agency, ILNA, reported that state TV cut parts of documentary released by President Hassan Rouhani’s campaign, effectively censoring the film. 

A Rouhani campaign official, spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters, confirmed that a censored segment showed supporters chanting for opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. A member of the Green Movement that hard-liners oppose, Mousavi has been under house-arrest since 2011.

At least 35 miners were killed and another 25 others were injured in a major coal mine explosion struck northern Iran last Thursday.  Many required hospitalization after inhaling gas from the blast during rescue efforts. The explosion occurred in the Zemestanyurt mine, outside of Azadshahr.

In an interview with state run Tasnim news agency, Ramezan Bahrami, head of the regime’s Mining & Industry House in Golestan Province said, “Financial problems resulted in the lack of safety precautions in the coal mine. The workers themselves are reduced to negotiating for their own demands.” He said further that contributing factors for the high fatalities included lack of safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas.

The first of three debates in the Iranian presidential election campaign has been televised. The debate was “hopeless” and “boring” according to the television viewers who watched it. 

The candidates participating in the debate are all current government officials and they made an effort to only speak about economic issues rather than political problems in the country.