IRAN: TURKMEN SCHOLAR SEES CHANGES IN IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000204 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2019 TAGS: IR PGOV PREL TX SUBJECT: IRAN: TURKMEN SCHOLAR SEES CHANGES IN IRAN Classified By: Charge Richard Miles, reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) A prominent Persian language scholar with close ties to Iranian academics told Iran Watcher this week that he fears that vote-rigging, similar to what was alleged to have occurred in the 2005 Iranian Presidential elections, will determine the outcome of Iran's Presidential election in June. XXXXXXXXXXXX (please protect strictly throughout),a retired professor at XXXXXXXXXXXX who now teaches XXXXXXXXXXXX in Ashgabat, said that he believes former President Khatami would win the popular vote "hands down," but fears the results could be altered to favor the conservatives in the election. ¶2. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX attended an international conference of Persian language scholars in Teheran last month said that the Iranians he met with are "tired" and "fed up" with their country's isolation and want a dialog with the United States and the West. He said that having previously visited Iran five years ago, the changes in the country were striking. Whereas on his earlier visit photos of Khomeini were still pretty much ubiquitous, he said he saw very few this time. He said that both in Teheran and at the university XXXXXXXXXXXX the atmosphere was palpably more relaxed than it had felt anytime since the 1979 revolution. He noticed "a lot more hair showing" (and make-up) on the female students, and was surprised to see young couples hugging or walking hand-in-hand on campus. He also observed a huge increase in prices, noting that a kilo of meat now costs ten dollars in Teheran. ¶3. (C) NOTE AND COMMENT: XXXXXXXXXXXX formerly taught XXXXXXXXXXXX . He served as XXXXXXXXXXXX interpreter during his official visits to Iran, as well visits of former President Rafsanjani to Ashgabat in the 1990s. Now retired, he teaches translation courses XXXXXXXXXXXX in Ashgabat. Although he did not provide details in his conversation with Iran Watcher, he has apparently come under pressure from the Turkmen Government recently, which was partially the reason for his departure from the university faculty. XXXXXXXXXXXX was clearly uncomfortable speaking at length in public even in Farsi. He has many contacts both in Iran and with the Iranian community in Turkmenistan and offered to be in touch with Iran Watcher to facilitate contacts with them. END COMMENT. MILES