The story: Gulf Arab capitals do not view the election of Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as a major turning point for Iranian policy. There is broad skepticism about whether there is any genuine pro-reform movement left in Iran. There is also a view that Iranian elections are cosmetic and will not allow Pezeshkian to act independently of conservative-dominated power structures.

The coverage: The recent Iranian presidential race has been closely covered by Gulf Arab media and pundits. This is primarily due to...