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Iran Youth at the Ballot Box

Last month, Iranians went to the polls to elect a new parliament and Assembly of Experts. Young people, who make up one third of the electorate, played a crucial role in the defeat of conservatives in the capital Tehran and strong gains for centrist President Hassan Rouhani.

One of the key issues in the election was the new nuclear agreement with the U.S. Although Iranians generally remain wary of the deal, outright opposition remains a minority view.

The Iranian hardliners who opposed the nuclear deal lost decisively; reformists, centrists, and independent conservatives won all 30 parliamentary seats in Tehran, and several hardline opponents of the deal also lost their seats in the Assembly of Experts, which is tasked with selecting the next supreme leader if 76-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dies or resigns.

Reese Erlich filed this report from Tehran.