A conservative Iranian analyst has said that the upper echelon of the political system had made the decision before the 2013 elections to address Iran's disagreements with the international community and needed someone with Hassan Rouhani’s background to implement the necessary policies.

“I think the system had the intention to make a calculated move in the field of international engagement,” Amir Mohebbian, a political analyst and editor of Arya News, told Mosallas magazine. “Neither [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad could play this role, nor was it expedient for this to fall in the hands of the Reformists, who do not have the strength for a project this important. Naturally, Rouhani, with his experience and his particular security perspective, had the necessary skill for this matter.”

The assertion that the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his advisers had already made the decision to address concerns about their nuclear program but needed a competent and trustworthy executive to conduct the negotiations is not something that can be proven. In March 2013, however, a few months before the presidential elections, Iranian and American officials met secretly in Oman in what was described to Al-Monitor’s Backchannel as a “useful engagement,” though without “much progress.” Mohebbian, an influential traditional conservative whose views often gain traction in Iranian media and social media, now has the advantage of hindsight to support his theories.

In May 2013, Mohebbian told The New York Times that hardline politician Saeed Jalili would receive 30% of the votes. He won approximately 13%. Mohebbian viewed Jalili’s decision to run in the elections as one of the key factors in Rouhani’s victory.