Hooshang Amirahmadi

My PhD is in planning and international development. I focus on socioeconomic development for nations. Judaism in Iran has a great history. Our Jewish brothers have lived with us for years. Iran and the Jewish people have historically not had any problems, it is a shame what is happening to our Jewish brothers. If I am elected all citizens will have equal rights regardless of their religion

Lots of questions very quickly. I will do my best to address all of them

I guess I didn't realize how much interest there was among Redditors. No chance to answer them all, but I'll answer as many as possible!

First, the electoral system in Iran is not fair because the Guardian Council vets candidates. Yet at the same time, the system is much better than not having any elections. Unfortunately in most countries in the region, there are no elections, or the elections are an outright farce. In Iran, elections exist and the majority of eligible citizens vote. But because the system controls the process through the Guardian Council, the election is unfair but better than none.

We need to get in and fight for fairness and we have to stay the course as long as it takes to change the process and hopefully get the Guardian Council out of the way in the Iranian election process. We don’t want to break the laws; we will follow them and act within the legal system. Even if we don’t like something in the Constitution, we won’t break the law. But where possible, we will legally pursue changes in the law.

I will try to answer your questions in the coming hours.

Yes actually. In the case of Iran the existing electoral process is not good. It makes the winner take all, and the loser lose all, similar to America. I believe in a proportional representation system, where by political groups are represented in their power block on the basis of their social weight. This is very much similar to the system in Germany, Italy, and other countries that through elections coalitions can be formed. In the case of Iran, if one candidate does not get 50%+, there is a runoff election. I would change the system to make a coalition government a reality. To do that, you need a proportional representation system.

My favorite akabar mashti bastani. Bastani means ice cream. Its a Persian ice cream, very delicous

The biggest problem for Iran is a lack of trust between the US Iran. I have lived 40 years in the US, I understand both cultures and laungages. I can easily build trust between the two countries. particularly because I have never been part of the problem between the US and Iran. I have tried to be part of the solution for 25 years.

I have lived in the US for 40 years, but have visited Iran time and time again. In fact, I returned to Iran as a developmental expert to work on reconstruction efforts at the front lines during/after the Iran-Iraq War. I have participated in similar reconstruction efforts after Iran's two major earthquakes. I have spent a great deal of time in Iran, still own a home there, and have an extensive network of friends and family in Iran. I believe the majority of Iranians are smart enough and fair enough to not dismiss me without any proof. I have always maintained consistent principles, and those who know me, know that I fight for what I believe in; not for any intelligence agency!

The majority of the Iranian people are for normal US - Iran relations. Even those who are critical of the US polices still support normalization of relations. My platform of normalizing relations is a very popular notion. It is also a source of strength over my election competitors.

On foreign policy, I have spent 27 years on Iran's foreign policy. I have written extensively on Iran's foreign policy and American foreign policy in the Middle East. I have practiced foreign policy through the American Iranian Council and a vast network of former American officials in this country and elsewhere in Europe and the Middle East.

I have been in Iranian politics for over 40 years, originally as a young man interested in promoting democracy in the country and trying to help bring various domestic groups together. I have never been a member of apolitical party or groups, but have worked with all of them.

I am a bridge builder, while my competitors are enemies of one another. None of them have experience in bridge building between factions. The factions in the country and the candidates are enemies and have no intention of closing gaps. Instead they are isolating each other.

I have been on the side of reconciliation and national solidarity. Others have been dividing people and isolating each other. They don't seem to believe in unity or solidarity. They don't even talk about it as a propaganda tool!

Also, I am a peacemaker. I have been in US-Iran relations for over 20 years trying to build peace between the two nations. My competitors have been on the exact opposite side. They are troublemakers and create problems in US-Iran relations. Instead, I try to solve the problems.

By practice, I have very transparently shown through my record that I am a bridge builder and peacemaker and I have spent most of my life on this mission. I think that because I have never been a regime insider and never had an official position, nobody can make me responsible for the poor foreign policy decisions.

Almost all the rivals of mine will be coming from inside the system for 20-some years, identified with all the domestic and international problems. As such, they can hardly present themselves as bridge builders or peacemakers or anything close to that.

I do not think Iran needs to have a nuclear weapon. However, under the NPT Iran does have the right to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Iran has obligations under that NPT framework. Iran has exercise its rights within the obligations.

Another thought, I think that nuclear weapons in the future will be useless both as a deterrent and as a fighting weapon. The future is cyberspace technology, cyber warfare technology. This technology will develop to the extent that these bombs will be neutralized. The future is not nuclear, it is cyber.

Any religion in politics is allowed. You cannot take religion out of politics. Religion in government is a different matter. Religion in politics means that if you are a religious person you still have all the rights of a non-religious person to run for office and get into office. However, once you are elected, you should leave religion out of the government system and run the government on the basis of science and rationalism.

Again, I am running in the framework of the Islamic Republic. I will not have any power in the separation of the religion and the state. I think the time has come for religions leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of the theocracy, and if it has to be changed for the sake of the people. I would leave that issue to the religious leaders and the Iranian people.

It is not dangerous to vote for me. In fact, no citizen has been penalized for simply voting for or giving support to a legal candidate.

In 2005, I put my name down as a candidate, but it was not really serious. I entered the race about one month before the election day and my purpose was not really to stay the course, but rather to make a statement. Much of Iran’s intelligentsia was boycotting that election and I was afraid that by boycotting, we are going to get someone elected that will not be hospitable to democracy and human rights. History proven me right. So I wanted to record my name in history as someone who did not boycott. That was the only reason. I did not have a platform or a campaign staff and organization to help me. This time , I am a serious candidate. I have an organization and people working for me. I have a platform. We have volunteers both outside and inside the country.

Furthermore, the situations in Iran between 2005 to 2013 are radically different. Iran in 2005 was not in the same dire condition that it is today. Factional infighting has really become a serious destabilizing matter in the Islamic Republic. As you know, Ahmadinejad and Larijani had a serious encounter in the Parliament just this week. The factions within the Right, which controls the country now, have moved from rivalry to animosity. I expect this animosity to increase to the extent that it really will become impossible for the factions to coexist. That means that they will need someone from the outside to bring them together. That is me, as a bridge builder.

Secondly, in 2005, the US-Iran conflict was not as bad as it is today. Now we have sanctions on oil and banks and the sanctions are almost all-encompassing. Oil revenue is almost 1/3 of what it was in 2005. The Iranian banking system has become isolated from the international banking system. The US-Iran relationship has come to a point where i believe the status quo of ‘no war no peace’ in 2005 is no longer viable or tenable. That status quo is very unstable, so the two countries very soon will have to make a decision between war and peace. I am hoping that peace will come, but i am not sure if the IR can deliver peace with the US. They don’t have the kind of people in the system, since many of them are problem makers rather than problem solvers. I have spent 25 years of my life trying to bring the US and Iran back together in a normal relationship. I have produced lots of opportunities, but unfortunately some of those opportunities were lost by Tehran or Washington. For example, in 2005 I brought then-Secretary of State to extend a regret and later an apology for the 1953 coup, but unfortunately the iranian government failed to reciprocate. I was hoping that they would apologize for the hostage crisis.

Finally, Iran is facing declining production, high unemployment, and high inflation, with a rial plunged to a very low level. I am an economic development expert and a planner. So here I come in as a problem solver.

I am a bridge builder, peacemaker, and economic developemnt expert and manager. That is why i believe i can help and that Iran needs me. i am hoping that the Islamic Republic realizes this is, and allows the Iranian people to vote for me.

It is not dangerous to vote for me. In fact, no Iranian citizen has been penalized for simply voting for or supporting a legal candidate.

At this point, no candidate (not me, not Messrs. Ghalibaf, Velayati, etc.) is allowed to publicly campaign in Iran. In that sense, all candidates are in the same boat. No candidate can publicly campaign until he gets the approval of the Guardian Council, which will be delivered in late-May. So far, my campaign has been very active campaigning in the United States, Dubai, and the United Kingdom. We will be travelling to Iran in March, but not for public campaigns. With your help, we want to take our message of peace around the world. The fact is that there are two necessary factors for successful campaigns: ideas and money. We are hoping to build a grassroots movement with broad based support. By donating, you are not only helping fund our campaign organization (incorporated under Amirahmadi 1392, Inc.), you are investing in Iran's future. None of this money goes to me personally; it all goes into our small political organization.

http://amirahmadi.com/take_action/donate.htm

I don't think that talking to Redditors will hurt my chances in any way. It can only help by driving more global attention to my candidacy. In fact, my campaign has been generating tremendous enthusiasm in Persian-language, English-language, and other media. I recently delivered a speech at a major event at NYU. I had an article in The New Yorker and The Jerusalem Post, and appeared on the Brian Lehrer Show. I also had an interview in Iran's popular Shargh newspaper, as well as the UAE's Gulf News. In fact, just yesterday I was talking to a Brazilian newspaper and tomorrow I will be interviewed by a Brazilian magazine.

My point is that this campaign is a truly international campaign that is trying to bring in the global community behind a set of peaceful ideas and prescriptions for legal reform. My hope is that you all will support me in whatever way you can.

Links: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2013/02/11/130211ta_talk_schmidle

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2013/feb/01/new-jerseys-iranian-presidential-candidate/

http://sharghdaily.ir/Default.aspx?NPN_Id=12&pageno=8#

http://amirahmadi.com/take_action/donate.htm

Yesterday was with Estadão.com.br – Portal de notícias de O Estado de S. Paulo

Tomorrow is with ÉPOCA magazine.

My Brazilian friend, would you kindly post the link to yesterday's article if you find it? I have not been able to find it. Perhaps it has not been published just yet.

Not really. I have no reason to fear for my safety. I am running within the laws of the nation, I am a peaceful person, I do not intend to harm anyone. No one should have reason to harm me. Our movement is 100% non-violence. I despise violence against anyone for any reason anywhere. I mean well, for all

First, US and Iran relations. That conflict must be resolved for both nations, and I am in the best position to solve that issue.

Second, University students needs more attention in the sense that they need jobs. I want to create 6 million jobs during my first term in office.

I want to pay a visit to the White House in the first 100 days in office, and shake Obama's hand

Like I said, I will resolve the Iran-US conflict. That will open up the international community to Iran. This means, for example, Iran's has 5 million expatriates outside the country can be reconnected to the homeland for investment. This group has billions of dollars of capitol to invest. I will also invite foreign investment to create jobs.

I will also reallocate resources at home for more productive activities and job creation. I will support industries, new start ups for young Iranians, develop business plans, I will particularly assist small industries, as they are the most useful in creating jobs.

I will also help expand rural industries, ones that relate to agricultural. Therefore creating jobs in rural areas. I will have export promotion. I will also diversify Iran's oil export, and use oil funds more wisely.

The bottom line is this, invite investment from outside, reallocate domestic resources for productive activities, and promote small business and young people for start ups and expansion.

I think 1979 revolution was originally not very hospitable to the woman's rights. However women have fought back, and they have significant rights under the theocracy. Yet, the situation is far from desirable. I plan to name a woman as Vice President. I will do everything in my power to promote women to high positions, from ministers to deputies, and so on. I don’t think that Iranian women have anything less than Iranian men. In fact, most university students right now are women, in Iran.

There have been cases where women have been stoned for adultery. This is not the rule, and it is done by certain religious fanatics in areas where government does not have control. As I have said originally, the revolution was very unfair to women, and these are examples of those developments. However, over time these matters have been brought under control. I deplore such actions against women, and do not support unjust treatment of Iranian women. The 1/2 rights are Islamic laws, and are key examples of discrimination. But then again, there are other matters that make women as equal to men as can be. What I am trying to point out is that this statement cannot be generalized. Even in the non-generalized sense, I am opposed to non-equal treatment of women.

I did not mean to say that I am promoting women based on their gender. The point was to say that Iranian women are no less than men, and there are as many qualified Iranian women as men for such a position.

I see that as a non-problem. I do not think anything is wrong with that, it is part of the human nature of a particular group. Homosexuality is NOT a disease, abnormality, or anything. Some people are born or choose to be homosexual or otherwise. That is completely acceptable, that is as normal as others who choose otherwise.

It is a matter of choice and nature. Under my administration, homosexuals will have the exact same rights and obligations that any other Iranian citizen will have

Well, I think that Iranian expatriate has, and must have, the right to return to his/her homeland without any problem, given that they have a passport. At this point, an Israeli stamp on the passport will be problematic. Under my administration, it wouldn't be. Also, I will do everything in my power to reconnect the expatriate community to Iran. By reconnect, I want them to have a functional role-education, socioeconomic-real linkages with the homeland.

Mullahs don’t decide who nominates him/herself as a candidate. They cannot prohibit Iranians from registering people as candidates. However, the Guardian Council will vet candidates, which limits the pool to a few people. We will fight this.

The visa process is not part of the Parliamentary jurisdiction.

The Executive branch has tremendous power over the visa process. Re-entry requirements are within the authority of the executive branch. If Iran has no relationship with a country, obviously the power of the Executive branch is limited because that would be part of a broader approach to that particular country. The visa becomes a subset of that relationship, and to that extent it becomes difficult for the Executive branch to act on the visa while it doesn’t have a relationship with that country. But even today, Iran and the US have no relations and yet the Executive branch can indeed offer visas to any American it wants. It goes to the Foreign Ministry.

I like Lou Armstrong. Of course, I also like Iranian classical music

The problem lies in trust. Once we can establish trust between the US and Iran then a solution to the nuclear enrichment issue is reachable

No, I am a duel citizen. I think America has been very fair to me. It has given me tremendous opportunity to grow. I came to this country with a BA in engineering. I now have a Master and a Phd. I came to this country empty-handed, and have built my wealth and family here. I don't think the US would want me to be a puppet. I have said that the best friend for the US would be a patriotic Iran. History has shown that puppets do not last long, and they do not serve the interest of the master. At the end of the day, they are harmful.

I am very serious. The future is in space. If I am President, I will focus on space rather than nuclear. I will do everything in my power to use space for peaceful purposes. I think space technology is very important, and it will be very important in the future whether we like it or not. We must do everything in our power to make sure our that the technology is used for peaceful purposes.

I have nothing to hide, I am a very transparent person. I have been consistent on my platform for 30 years. One example is my advocacy for normalization of relationship with the US.

Again, under my administration there will be full trust and normalization of relations with the West. Because Iran will be a friend, it will never generate suspicion in Western countries. I will do everything in my power with all security and development matter with the US and Europe, as well as the rest of the world. My administration will have a different foreign policy, based on win/win for all. Also, Iran will have no enemy under my administration. If anyone thinks Iran is an enemy, that is their problem. We will have great relations with all non-hostile nations.

I believe in freedom of press, freedom of media, including social media. In my administration there will be no restriction on any type of media. I believe in free speech.

Questions for Redditors:

1. If you were an Iranian citizen, would you vote for me? Why or why not?

2. Would you kindly support our campaign in some meaningful way? We are looking for support from volunteers, interns, and of course financial support.

In particular, we can use the help of people with the following skills: digital photography, videography, video editors, web designers, and graphic designers. If you have this professional skill set and are interested, let us know your location. We plan on hosting campaign events around the US, Iran and around the world. We are trying to run this campaign as efficiently as possible without wasting a dollar. Maybe you can help us at an upcoming event by providing your skill set.

If you can't get involved in a hands-on sense, we can still use your financial support. On behalf of my small campaign staff, I am humbly asking Redditors for ten dollar donations, if possible. We want as many people as possible to feel INVESTED in this campaign and in Iran's political future. http://amirahmadi.com/take_action/donate.htm

Wow. Thank you so much for all of the replies and offers to help with your professional skills. I can hardly keep track of all these offers. In order to streamline the process, would you kindly send an email to info@amirahmadi.com. Please include your city and professional skill set in the subject line. I will do my best to have my communications director reach out to you. Thank you!

We definitely will need help in the UK. We are coming to London in about one week. Can you send an email to info@amirahmadi.com with your skill set and city in the subject line? Thanks

Yes. According to Iranian law, if your father is an Iranian citizen, then you can have Iranian citizenship (regardless of where you were born). Expatriate citizens are allowed to vote. In fact the Islamic Republic encourages absentee ballots. Please do vote for me and please tell your friends about me too.

Hi Andrew,

Yes, I can run for the Iranian Presidency because I am a citizen of Iran. According to Iranian Constitutional law, citizens can run for elected office, and the only way an Iranian citizen can rescind his citizenship is by explicitly writing a request for revocation, which must be approved by the Cabinet of Minsters. I have never done so, and do not intend to do so. Therefore, because I was born in Iran, I remain an Iranian citizen with all the rights citizenship entails.

Second, many of the Islamic Republic’s leaders, including Ayatollah Khomeini and Mr. Bani Sadr, lived abroad prior to returning to Iran to lead the government. My case is no different than that of Mr. Bani Sadr, who was also a citizen of France.

Third, the Islamic Republic actively encourages Iranian expatriates to participate in the voting process, even going so far as to set up polling stations in North America and Europe. Since these Iranian citizens retain the right to vote for a candidate, they also retain the right to be voted for as a candidate. Fourth, my candidacy as a dual citizen represents an expression of the rights of five million Iranian expatriate dual citizens. To reject my candidacy without a legal basis, would be not only to disenfranchise me. It would represent the disenfranchisement of millions of Iranian citizens living outside their native homeland.

Fifth, I have maintained very strong ties to Iran for my entire life. I have visited every year, still own a house there, and still see close friends and family in my homeland. Furthermore, I have worked on development on the front lines of the post war and post earthquake periods in Iran’s history. I have written extensively defending Iran’s territorial rights in the Caspian Sea and the islands of Abu Musa and Tunb. I have never stood for sanctions, war, or regime change in Iran, and my loyalty has been proven unquestionably by my life, writings, and actions.

Sixth, Islam does not recognize national borders, instead recognizing all Muslims as part of the ummah, the global community of followers bound together by religion. As a Muslim, I am part of this global community with the same rights as every other member.

Thank you very much. I will let you know if we come to Belgium. Can you send an email to info@amirahmadi.com with your city name and skill name in the subject line. I need an efficient way to keep track of all these generous offers!

Yes, to comply with sanctions law, our donations remain separate. That is to say, money we raise in Iran will remain in Iran. Money we raise outside of Iran, will be collected in our campaign's bank account which is registered in California under the name Amirahmadi 1392. We will spend the non-Iran money on our campaign expenses traveling around the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. As you probably know, running a modern campaign costs money, but we are doing what we can to run it as lean and efficiently as possible. That includes asking Redditors with professional skill sets to help out. Instead of paying a professional videographer $500 to film our events, I would much rather have someone do it because he or she is passionate about the cause. When possible, I will ask my campaign to pay a reasonable stipend to those who volunteer with professional skill sets.

Amazing and an extremely useful skill. Right now I have my very-busy communications director editing our videos on Final Cut Pro. Can you send an email to info@amirahmadi.com with your city and skillset in the subject line? Thank you.

My policy is very simple: every Iranian citizen regardless of their religion, ethnicity, race, color, gender, has all the citizenship rights and obligations. All of them are equal in front of the law.

As for action, I will give them their citizen rights. I do not look at them as Bahai's, Jew, Muslim, or anything. I look at them as citizens, and as such, you will be equal in front of the law. As President I will make sure you get your rights. Nobody under my administration will be prosecuted for their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, political orientation, ideological standing, or any other characteristics.

Good news! The donations from the Reddit community have just started coming in. We just received a $100 donation from Samuel Nadel. This is an extremely generous act, and we certainly do not expect such large donations. We are hoping to run this campaign on small $10 donations from people like you. We need your help, and promise to spend every dollar wisely. Unfortunately, good ideas alone are not enough to propel themselves. We need a large base of supporters and money to make this project effective. Please consider a ten dollar donation by clicking below.

http://amirahmadi.com/take_action/donate.htm

We need a larger e-mail list, a better website, a way to increase social media presence, and expand participation of the youth in the election process. For all this, we need staffers, designers, a webmaster, things like that. The campaign is the project. Basically we are using this money to promote this campaign, which is promoting peace and democracy in Iran. To do all this, we need all the aforementioned items.

Also we need to produce videos and audios that can be distrusted throughout the country, both physically and over social media. We need to buy time on satellite media and radio, which has a huge presence in Iran. We want to hire a channel, for a few hours per day, a channel that is beamed to Iran to take up a message to the Iranian people. That answer the question?

To win the campaign we need tools including a great website, active Facebook, and other social media. We need to produce lots of videos and photos from all our campaign events. As you know, I simply can not do this all on my own. I will need a small-paid staff to manage it, and will need to occasionally hire people with professional skills to help at our major campaign events, such as our recent event at NYU.

Additionally, we will be using the money to travel around to world to bring attention to our campaign's ideas. Traveling to California, London, Dubai, and around the world costs money including airfare and hotel. We have already campaigned in Northern California, Southern California, London, and Dubai, and my communications director and I flew economy on all the flights. No first/business class flights.

Finally, with your support, we would like to purchase advertising in major media outlets in Iran and the US. All of this costs money and can only be accomplished with your help.

I hope you will consider making a small donation. I am so glad to see that so many of you have already donated!

http://amirahmadi.com/take_action/donate.htm

I just wanted to give a public shout out to Redditor Alex Kim for his $10 donation. Every dollar counts. And I sincerely appreciate it!

I answered this question towards the top.

Another shout out to Mr. Brandon Payne for his $20 donation! Every dollar counts, and by making this donation, I am indebted to Brandon and he has invested in Iran's future. On behalf of my campaign, I thank him.

I do greatly appreciate your sense of solidarity, and your vision for renewed friendship between the two great nations of the US and Iran. I spent 25+ years of my life consistently and almost full time on bringing these two countries together. I put together an organization called Iranian-American council. With this new development in my life as a candidate for Iran's presidency I am trying to advance that mission as well. One best way to assist us in US-Iran relations, is to assist our campaign, in whichever way you can.

Please stay in touch, send us e-mail, visist our campaign website, and also encourage friends, family, colleagues, classmates, whoever you have, to join our cause. You can do a lot on the website, there are options for you to be involved.

Most importantly, keep in touch with the campaign, and we will find a particular place for you to be most effective.

Contact us at info@amirahmadi.com

Thank you for your support.

Spread the word about what we are doing. info@amirahmadi.com, stay in touch with us. We will find something for anyone that wants to help. We want to normalize relations between the US and Iran too.

I answered that further up, does that help?

Very good question. I already have spent some years on building images in Iran. In fact, on the website of the American-Iranian council (www.american-iranian.org) we already have a project listed called building Iran's image. You can go to that particular website and project to find out what we are doing already, and beyond that, the website of the campaign we have a link called "images of Iran." In images of Iran we will be placing pictures of Iran that shows the real Iran, and not the one made up by the media. We also have a 3 minute video on the website that shows the same thing.

Thank you for your concern, we think that Iran's image has been very much distorted. If I get elected Presidient of Iran, I will do what I can to create an image of Iran that is in line with that countries history, culture, and people.

A big part of this problem with Iran's image had to do with a bad relationship with the West. Because my policy calls for a more normalized Iran-US relations, I'm hoping that image issue will partly be resolved by solving this conflict.

First, I will be VERY different. Ahmadinejad increased tension between US and Israel. I will be he exact opposite. Ahmadinejad domestically has also been a dividing force, I will be a uniting force. He has mismanaged the economy, I will manage it correctly. He isolated the Iranian economy, I will integrate Iran's economy. I will give Iran the best image possible, the true image of Iran to the world. I will be the polar opposite of Ahmadinejad. Even others before him did not do well enough for the nation. None of them were able to mend relations with the US, or put together a good economic policy. Nobody was able to close the gap between factions. I think the blame goes to many people who where before Ahmadinejad. I don't believe anyone in within the system could do better than Ahmadinejad, meaning to say that the regime doesn't have anyone who can be an improvement over the current president.

The regime has nobody that is a bridge maker, a peace maker, and nobody who is a good economic manger and understands the world economy. Given Iran's set of problems, I am the only candidate that fits the right qualifications for president.

It was a very unfortunate event. It did not need to go the direction that it did. One big problem with Iran's election is the winner take all system. If the system was proportional representation that would not need to happen. There could have been a coalition government formed with Ahmadinejad and Moussavi

Every Iranian voter has the right to ask whether his or her vote has been counted, and counted in the right way. I think that the leaders on all sides mismanaged the dispute by creating a spontaneous hype in the post-election process. The leaders of the protest were also mislead by numbers and did not account well for the reality on the ground. They over estimated their power, they over estimated the opposition to the election results, and they misplaced their goal as they protested.

Instead of asking for a re-election or an overthrow of Ahmadinejad, they should have focused attention on the Guardian Council's vetting process, for future, freer election.

All of the small donations are adding up. I want to shout out the following people for their $10-20 donations: Corey Dull, Babak Ghorbani, Landyn Uhersky, Dave Eaton, Tom Vigrass, Derek Elliot, Halcyon Woodward, Eric Opsahl, Seth Rich and others!

I sincerely appreciate your kind act. By doing so, you have invested in the future of Iran and I feel indebted to you.

I have answered a large part of this question further up. The biggest problem is trust, and this trust we largely demolished in the revolution. The distrust goes back to the 1953 coup against Mossavik hurt the trust between the Iran and US. The 1979 hostage crisis caused even more trust problems. The revolution itself became a source of hostilities between the two governments. It just happens that the Islamic Revolution was also anti-American. Between the two countries that exist called the Islamic Revolution, and it just happens that this revolution never liked the US, it was anti-American to begin with. It also just happens that the American establishment didn't like revolutions, including this Islamic Revolution

It is unfortunate both sides view each other through this prism of the revolution. Iran see's US an imperialistic power bent on destroying the Islamic Republic. The US, on the other hand, see's Iran as bent on destroying American and its allies. Neither side, of course, is correct. The truth is somewhere in the middle. It is unfortunate that both sides cannot modify that view of each other, and as long as they refuse to correct that perspective, they will have a hard time coming together.

I believe in education and rehabilitation before anything. I will do everything in my power to abolish capital punishment, but before we can abolish it, we need to provide the conditions for its non-existence. I will make sure that all criminals will be given all the rights that any citizen has to defend themselves. Every case of criminality will go through due process. We not only have to educate and rehabilitate the criminals, we have to educate the populace as to why capital punishment (especially public capital punishment) is inhumane.

Life sentence without parole would be the ultimate form of punishment.

First, as per the Constitution, the President is the second in command of the country after the Supreme Leader.

Second, the President is entrusted with implementation of the Constitution.

Third, the President is the sole executive power controlling the countries income and expenses (the budget), and under the President the Cabinet of Ministers works and the provincial Governors.

The President, more importantly, is popularly elected. He is probably the most legitimate public figure in the country because his election is national, and he will by definition be elected with a huge vote (50%+), so he will need the vote of at least 24 million or so people. The president obviously has to work with the judiciary and the Parliament. All of the three branches are under the Supreme Leader, who is also the commander in chief of the armed forces. But, the Constitution limits the Supreme Leader as well. He is indirectly elected by the people, because he is elected/fired by an Assembly of Experts, an 86 member council, whose members are elected by the people every seven years.

Presidency in Iran is structured with two 4-year terms.

While the Supreme Leader sets the broader macro guidelines for the direction of the nation, it is the president that sets implementable policies for specific line item budgets. Indeed, the president runs the country on a daily basis. This gives the president tremendous power and if Iran were to have a president who is wise, knowledgable, and tactful, he could do a lot even though he may also be limited in terms of the power of the Supreme Leader.

Fesenjan is my favorite Khoresht, and I am quite a good cook. I believe I make the best fesenjan, which I make somewhat sweet and sour. I do improvise sometimes on that.

In terms of my favorite LA Persian restaurant, I don't want to single one out in particular. I would just say that I love all Iranian food!

Dear Redditors thank very much for participating. This went extremely well (we were the first item on the Reddit home page)!. But now I should call it a night.

We will be back here on Tuesday February 12th @ 6pm Eastern Time I look forward to continuing this interesting crowdsourced conversation. I am very grateful to this tremendous outpouring of questions, comments, enthusiastic support, volunteering offers, and financial contributions.

We had over 3,000 comments and and over 21,000 up-votes! I truly appreciate this level of support and participation. Please continue to support this campaign in any way you can.

Please be sure to visit the campaign website, 'Like' us on Facebook to follow our updates from along the campaign trail, and donate to our campaign.

Our success depends on your support.

God Bless you, Iran, America, and the world ;-) Dr. Hooshang Amirahmadi

I suppose you could do that.

We're trying to run this campaign on a very small, lean budget. I have my small staff doing multiple things at the same time. I would love to have a professional web design and management company run the website.

If you are a qualified professional, perhaps your time would be better spent helping us develop the website into something that would better fit into the subreddit /r/Design? Just a thought.

Thanking you in advance.

If anybody is available to work as a qualified, pro-bono photographer or videographer for an upcoming campaign event on Long Island, NY on Sunday February 24 @ 12pm, please send an email to info@amirahmadi.com

Thanks!