A map of Iran courtesy of google images. In a suprise move, Muhammad Khatami, a relatively old but incresingly progressive reformist cleric, declared his intentions to run against current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June's presidential elections. Ahmadinejad, famous in the West for his aggressive and almost arrogant persona, has lost the popular support of many Iranians as his massive public works projects, desigend to bolster the poor, have actually led to widespread inflation. In the aftermath of this spike in inflation, the middle class of Iran, famed for their moderate nature, has lost their purchasing power. Obviously, this development has angered many of these middle class Iranians. In this charged political climate, it is now possible that a more progressive leader could seize the reins of Iran's government. It is even possible, that, in order to maintain Iran's delicate theocracy, the Grand Ayatollah Khameini might lend his support to a candidate other than Ahmadinejad. Obviously, the rising popularity of reformist candidates among middle class Iranian citizens who feel overly restrained by Ahmadinejad's conservative regulations of personal behavoir has most likely put Ahmadinejad on edge. While the US has a vested interest in the election of a reformist Iranina president- including the possibility of freer negotiatons as well as the notion of a nuclear-free Iran- it cannot attempt to take any action within Iran. To, even secretly, attempt to manipulate the Iranian elections in the favor of Western interests, would certainly destroy any hopes of modernization in Tehran. Instead, the influential Iranian middle class could very well radicalize if they felt any pressure from American interests. In today's geopolitical climate, one filled with anti-American rhetoric abounding abroad, even the remotest possibility of a moderate Iran is cherished. Who knows, come June, the US and President Barack Obama may indeed have sustained negotiations with Iran over their nuclear program for the first time in many years.