There is much skepticism among President-elect Hassan Rouhani’s supporters about whether he will act, as he pledged during his presidential campaign, to free Reformist leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard and Mehdi Karroubi, who have been under house arrest since 2011.

In a video released by Rouhani's campaign, in a May 13 question-and-answer session held with Sharif University of Technology students, he was questioned about his view on the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi. He responded, “I think it’s possible to bring about a condition, over the next year, in which not only those under house arrest but also those who have been imprisoned after the 2009 election would be released.”

Several days after his election, in his first press conference, Rouhani reassured his supporters that he would not forget his promises. This came after one audience member disrupted the proceedings by shouting that Mousavi should be freed. Rouhani, seeking to assure the man who was repeatedly shouting “Remember, Mousavi must be present!” said that he would live up to his promises.

“Some issues need to be resolved … but it takes time and patience,” he said.