TEHRAN, Iran — Beyond seeking a second term, President Hassan Rouhani is seemingly setting his sights on another key Iranian state institution — the Assembly of Experts. This important clerical body supervises the performance of the supreme leader and is also tasked with one day selecting the successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Many in Iran’s inner political circles are almost certain that Rouhani will run for the Assembly of Experts, although the expectation is that his candidacy will not be officially announced until the registration period for the vote arrives. Starting Dec. 17, it lasts for six days.

Mohammad-Javad Haghshenas, a Reformist analyst, told Al-Monitor, “Before winning the presidential election, Rouhani was a member of the Assembly of Experts, and I think it is highly likely that he will run in the election again.” He added, “There is no legal obstacle in the way of Rouhani’s candidacy, and I emphasize that a decision to not step forward is really improbable.”

Rouhani’s potential candidacy for the Assembly of Experts won’t be his first. He has served in it twice as a representative of the cities of Semnan and Tehran. What is different this time is the hot water Rouhani will probably end up in if he announces his candidacy, considering hard-liners’ discontent with both his domestic and foreign policy. Indeed, they will likely criticize the president for Iran’s dire economic situation, with particular reference to the potential zero growth that the economy is facing.