Iran’s young voters navigate presidential race shaped by 2022 clashes [Video]

• For young voters in Iran, the memories of the 2022 clashes against rulers have shaped the upcoming presidential race.
• All six candidates have targeted youth voters through social media, recognizing their role in Iran’s political future.
• The memory of the 2022 protests continues to influence Iranian youth, shaping their outlook on governance and political participation.

Atousa joined angry protests against Iran’s rulers in 2022 that loyalists like Reza helped crush. Two years on, the two young Iranians’ political views remain at odds, reflecting a rift that will shape the outcome of presidential elections this week.

Now 22, Atousa says she will abstain from voting in Friday’s ballot to choose a successor to Ebrahim Raisi after his death in a helicopter crash, regarding the exercise with derision.

But Reza, 26, a religiously devout member of the hardline Basij militia, intends to vote, a contrasting view of the worth of the election that underscores the division in Iran between …