June 12 is the fifth anniversary of the birth of Iran's democratic Green Movement. Though the open resistance of this popular movement has been suppressed, it has been morally vindicated in the intervening years and remains as a constituency imbedded in Iran's body politic, ready to emerge once again when the opportunity arises. And the opportunity will surely arise. The Islamic Republic of Iran is not your usual authoritarian state. As a hybrid of religious dictatorship and competitive elections, the regime generates its own opposition, see-sawing back and forth between conservatives and reformists. One day, the balance of power will shift decisively toward democracy and against the Ayatollahs. It is precisely because democratic elections within a religious dictatorship are so meaningful that the election five years ago in 2009 was so passionately contested.

Rouhani is not the reformists dream but he brings hope for substantial change. The events of the past six months testify to the complexity of the Iranian political milieu and the people's desire for change through the ballot box

Unprecedented U.S.-led sanctions seek to cripple the Iranian economy, and a key focus of Iran's diplomacy at the summit was finding new ways to remain afloat, buoyed by oil money.

While it is not wise to use one interview as a basis to form an opinion or policy, one point of view is better than no point of view. I am fortunate to know someone from Iran briefly studying in the U.S. that is willing to talk about this issue from an Iranian point of view before he returns to Iran.

Since early May 2011, charges of sorcery, witchcraft, and using supernatural powers to manipulate people and events for particular political ends have been leveled against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.