Al-Monitor | Ali Hashem: When Hassan Rouhani first became president in 2013, he had a mentor: two-time President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. At the time, Rouhani's rivals hinted that the real president would be Rafsanjani, despite the fact that Rouhani had an unrivaled experience in diplomacy and security affairs, alongside his extensive experience in the parliament and his standing as a senior cleric.

This time, Rouhani seems to be very capable of absorbing differences under the umbrella of the Islamic Republic’s establishment, and some of what he said during the election campaign that stirred controversy he did not mention in his Aug. 3 speech at the supreme leader’s residence or on Aug. 5 in the parliament, were he was sworn in as president for his second term.

In the grand plenary chamber of the Iranian parliament, dignitaries from all over the world watched Rouhani take the oath. Representatives of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad sat with delegations from the European Union, the United Kingdom, France and other Western states. Gulf state representation from Qatar, Kuwait and Oman boosted the Iranian goal of the gathering, which clearly showed that the Islamic Republic — despite all the attempts by rival states — is neither isolated nor on bad terms with most of the world. The Iranian show of diplomatic power saw around 10 heads of state and a similar number of foreign ministers, with a special appearance from EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who seemed to be the special guest. On Aug. 5, Mogherini met with Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the supreme leader’s foreign policy adviser Ali Akbar Velayati and Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations; upon her arrival in the parliament the media and even Iranian officials took pictures of her.

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