Rouhani, Khamenei Agree: Iran To Follow a Moderate Discourse

By Mustafa al-Labbad, translated by Al-Monitor Iran Pulse from As-Safir (Lebanon),  August 5, 2013

In Iran, presidential inauguration ceremonies are considered important political celebrations, not formalities. The Iranian supreme guide, Ali Khamenei, has broad constitutional powers. His approval of election results, as required by the Iranian constitution, marks the official start of the new president’s mandate. The inauguration ceremony and its speeches act as a gauge to the power balance in Iranian politics and show how Iranian decision-makers view their country’s regional and global positions.

The presidential inauguration ceremony is conducted according to evocative procedures. The supreme guide’s speech is considered a letter of assignment to the new president, reflecting how the country’s top authority views the domestic and international issues facing the country. Then the new president gives a speech laden with messages directed to Iran’s interior and exterior. Analyzing the speeches on this important occasion can shed light on Iran’s priorities in the next phase.

The scene’s symbolism [....]

continues with analysis of the ceremony and both speeches.

Also:

Rouhani's US-Educated Chief of Staff Knows East and West

By Reza H. Akbari for Al-Monitor Iran Pulse, August 5, 2013

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s first executive decree was to appoint Mohammad Nahavandian as his chief of staff. An economist by training, Nahavandian is a seasoned technocrat who has served his country as a senior bureaucrat for decades. His appointment indicates Rouhani’s commitment to improving the country’s weak economy.

Nahavandian is perhaps a model politician for Rouhani’s government of “wisdom and hope” — a moderate, religious-minded veteran technocrat, who, though educated abroad, is loyal to the aspirations of the Islamic Republic.

Rouhani recognizes that, as a Western-educated economist and someone with strong ties to the traditional bazaari class, Nahavandian brings him a set of unique skills. Having been trained both in Iran’s seminaries and Western universities, Nahavandian is a well-rounded and knowledgeable individual ready to tackle the many complex issues faced by the new administration [....]