Iran's Presidential Election Heads to Runoff Between Moderate and Hardliner

Massoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili to face off in a decisive vote following historically low turnout.

Pezeshkian, a moderate reformist, narrowly leads with 42.4% of the vote, while hardliner Jalili follows with 38.6%.
The runoff election is scheduled for July 5 after neither candidate secured the required majority.
Turnout was the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with only 40% of eligible voters participating.
The election follows the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains the ultimate authority, limiting the president's power to enact major policy changes.