Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian will become Iran’s first moderate president in almost two decades after he narrowly defeated hardliner Saeed Jalili. The former heart surgeon and health minister campaigned on promises to soften Iran’s conservative policies. He criticized the country’s notorious morality police and called for negotiations over a renewal of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan explains how Iran came to have a reformist leader and cautions that the new president’s authority is limited.

Excerpted from Peter’s July 11 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

Next up on our list of important elections around the globe is the Iranian presidential elections. We’ll be looking at Iran’s new president-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian, and what his victory might mean for the country.

Pezeshkian triumphed over a number of slightly nutty, ultra-conservative, fire-breathing candidates sponsored by the clerical regime (which officially oversees the entire country). This presidential election has also highlighted some of the ongoing issues Iran has faced, especially the economic difficulties caused by U.S. sanctions.

Pezeshkian’s platform follows a more moderate approach than his opponents and predecessors, and suggests a possible shift in domestic policies. As of now, these conversations are focused on smaller issues like the strict enforcement of a dress code for women, but when the majority of the Iranian populace rallies behind something like that … it could mean that something bigger is brewing. It’s far too early to make a call like that, but this is something that I’ll be keeping an eye on.