Mackey explained, it is the moderates’ “recognition that Iran
must live in the real world of economics and diplomacy. Forced
to make a choice, they give priority to the nation rather than
Islam.”^76 Different Iranians support the moderates’ ideas for
different reasons. The moderate support base tends to lie in
the middle class and those in business, as well as in much of the
government bureaucracy.
In May 1997, voters overwhelmingly elected Muhammad
Khatami president of their country to replace Rafsanjani.
Khatami promised a more open society in which individuals’
rights would be respected. Since then, the country has edged
toward more liberal conditions. When Khatami traveled to Italy in
March 1999, it marked the first time since the revolution that an
Iranian leader had visited a Western nation. He was reelected in
- The constitution allows a president to serve only two terms.
Muslim fundamentalists, however, remain largely in charge
of national affairs, including the military and the judicial
system. And Islamic fundamentalism overshadows Iran. Abdo,
a journalist who was based in Iran from 1998 to 2001, noted:
The foreign visitor is struck by the startling absence of signs
with directions to the next McDonald’s or the next luxury
hotel or advertisements for the latest in seductive designer
jeans. Despite the odd sales pitch for a Japanese television here
or a Korean mobile telephone there, most of the huge, painted
billboards along the highways or the more simplistic sketches
on downtown walls are selling the Islamic Revolution, the
regime’s single most valuable commodity.^77Islamic laws are rigidly enforced, and religious leaders pressure
the people to adhere to traditional customs.
Full diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States
never have been restored since the revolution. Iran maintains
no embassy in the United States, and the United States has no
official diplomatic delegation in Iran. As international terrorism
heightened at the beginning of the new century, the adminis-
tration of U.S. President George W. Bush cited Iran, Iraq, and
Iran After Khomeini 85