Polls Close in an Hour

After voting was extended due to high turnout, the polls are set to close at 8pm local time, 11.30AM EST. f none of the six candidates get 50% of the vote, the election will go to a runoff on 21 June.

Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour warns on ForeignPolicy.com that it's foolish to try to call the election:

"A close reading of Iranian politics over the last decade would suggest that Friday's presidential election could well be decided on the principle of "one man, one vote" -- that one man, of course, being Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ...

Those who trust the integrity of the electoral process – an increasingly small group – foresee a run-off between Rouhani and Ghalibaf. Those who believe that Khamenei's decision is paramount project Jalili as the obvious winner. And perhaps for the first time, Khamenei may see his interests in conflict with those of the Revolutionary Guards.

If past is precedent, however, there's one thing we do know: predicting anything about Iran's opaque politics is a fool's errand. And, having never progressed beyond college calculus I am no Nate Silverzadeh. But if there's something that seems like a good bet, it's that the Supreme Leader will remain supreme."