Two opponents of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been elected to top positions, one of them outranking the president's authority. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president who lost to Ahmadinejad in 2005, was elected head of the Assembly of Experts.
An American Navy think tank analyst, William Samii, said the move represents a significant change in Iran. "People are fed up with Ahmadinejad and his belligerence. The regime will try to pursue a less-confrontational foreign policy," he said.