Iranians vote to replace president killed in a helicopter crash, but apathy remains high

Iranians have started voting in a presidential election to replace late President Ebrahim Raisi. The voting on Friday follows the May helicopter crash that killed Raisi, the foreign minister and several other officials. Analysts broadly describe the race as a three-way contest, with two hard-liners — a former nuclear negotiator and the Iranian parliament speaker. The sole reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, has aligned himself with those who had supported Tehran's efforts to reach the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has final say on all matters of state, presidents can bend Iran toward confrontation or negotiations with the West.