Khamenei Protege, Sole Moderate to Battle in Iran's Presidential Run-Off.

 In Iran's presidential election, a run-off is set for July 5 after no candidate secured a majority in the initial round, as announced by the country's interior ministry on Saturday (June 30). The election, held to fill the vacancy left by Ebrahim Raisi's passing in a helicopter crash, witnessed a closely contested race primarily between two contenders: Massoud Pezeshkian, a moderate lawmaker who emerged as the sole moderate among four candidates, and Saeed Jalili, a former member of the Revolutionary Guards.

According to the interior ministry, neither candidate attained the required 50% plus one vote threshold from the over 25 million ballots cast. Pezeshkian led with over 10 million votes, followed closely by Jalili with more than 9.4 million votes. This outcome sets the stage for a pivotal run-off election that will determine Iran's next president amid heightened political dynamics and public scrutiny.