The story: Sidelined under conservative Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency (2021-24), Iran’s pro-reform camp is gaining momentum under Masoud Pezeshkian. Amid growing domestic and foreign policy challenges—including an economic crisis and a society on edge over a new hijab law—Reformists are joined by centrists and pragmatic conservatives in pushing back against hardliners. This comes as the question of leadership succession continues to loom large.

The coverage: Moderate ex-president Hassan Rouhani (2013-21) on Dec. 16 criticized hardline factions for floating the...