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After Election Talk, Iranians Ask Rouhani to Walk the Walk

Many of Tehran's citizens are skeptical of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's ability to turn the economy around and deliver on his many campaign promises.
A police officer stands on the step of the Iranian Embassy in central London December 1, 2011. Britain will call for stronger economic sanctions on Iran at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday following the storming of its embassy in Tehran, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Thursday. REUTERS / Ki Price (BRITAIN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2UPPE

With Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s new Cabinet just getting settled, the press is beaming with news of technocracy’s return to the country’s governing apparatus, and just recently, the possibility of the transfer of part of Iran’s nuclear file from the Supreme National Security Council under the supreme leader to the Foreign Ministry — under the president's office.

Despite developments of late, the mood in Tehran is a mixed bag of cautious optimism and outright indifference. This clashes with the sentiments seen the night Rouhani’s victory was announced, when street parties erupted in the capital’s biggest squares and boulevards. By now, some have taken to rationalizing the events of June 15 as an “excuse” to rejoice after an election outcome that at least appeared to run contrary to hardliners’ wishes — itself a cause for celebration.

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