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The Biden administration’s decision to allow Iran to hold votes on US soil sparked controversy on Friday, as Iranian-American activists gathered outside some polling stations to protest against those entering to cast their votes in Iran’s presidential election.
The campaign to boycott Iran’s election has been stronger than ever this year, leading to a record low turnout in the first round of the election. The turnout appears to have improved in the runoff according to official figures.
Outside Iran, the turnout is usually much lower than inside the country. But this time it has been even lower, and the opposition to those voting has been much stronger.
Witness reports and video clips published on social media show Iranian protesters gathering in front of Iran’s Interests Section (IIS) in Washington D.C. and confronting those going in and out. Similar videos have emerged from other polling stations in the neighboring states of Virginia and Maryland.
At least one station (in Tysons, VA) is reported to have been shut down following protests.
The US government had granted permission for 35 polling stations across the country, according to data published on the IIS website. The decision to allow voting for Iran’s election was criticized by activists who say the Biden administration should have followed the Canadian government and refused to allow stations to be set up in the United States.
It is unclear how many of those stations have in fact been set up and collected votes. In the first round, Voice of America conducted a study and found that out of 33 polling stations, 18 likely held voting. This was confirmed through Voice of America contacting 12 hotels and observing 6 stations based on social media images.
The main polling station was the IIS office in Washington DC. Iran International’s Ardavan Roozbeh, who spent the day outside the premises, said Iranian officials seemed to have purposefully scheduled many consular appointments for election day to drag Iranians to IIS to create a “participation illusion.”
“About 50 people were queuing from 8am, holding their passports and other documents,” Roozbeh said. “It seemed like they were queuing to vote, but they were just there for consular services and had no option because their appointment was scheduled for that day.”
The IIS represents the Islamic Republic in the US and offers consular services to Iranian-Americans.
A minibus sent to collect votes from Sunni worshippers at a grand mosque in Saravan, in Iran's eastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, was set on fire, according to rights groups.
An ethnic rights advocacy group, the Baloch Campaign, reported that the bus "left the area without collecting any votes." Apparently, the blaze was put out enabling the vehicle to drive away.
This incident follows last week's violence when unidentified assailants attacked a vehicle transporting election boxes in Sistan-Baluchestan Province just minutes after voting concluded in the first round of presidential elections at midnight on June 29.
The assault reportedly resulted in the deaths of two security personnel and injuries to several others, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA. Additionally, one of the assailants was also killed.
Sistan-Baluchestan experienced significant unrest during the nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, recording the highest number of casualties among Iran's 31 provinces.
The province remains a hotspot for protests fueled by unemployment, water shortages, and security policies perceived as targeting the Baluchi minority.
Out of 2,547,000 ballots counted so far, Pezeshkian is leading with 1,263,000 votes (49.6%), followed by Saeed Jalili with 1,244,000 votes (48.8%), according to the first official figures released by the Interior Ministry.
The official figures also put the number of invalid votes at 38,800.
While no official result has been declared yet, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News says Masoud Pezeshkian has taken the lead over his ultraconservative contender Saeed Jalili in Iran's runoff presidential election.
Raja News, a media outlet close to Jalili, also reports that Pezeshkian is expected to win with nearly 16 million votes.
Citing "statistical analysis and field estimates", Raja News said almost 13 million people have voted for Jalili.
The figures, however, are not official, and Iran's Interior Ministry is expected to announce the final results in coming hours.
