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Polls close in first Iran election since historic nuclear deal

Polls have closed in Iran's parliamentary election, the first since the nation's landmark nuclear deal with world powers last year.

The vote is largely a referendum on moderate president Hassan Rouhani following last summer's historic nuclear agreement, which curbed Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

Iranians were also voting for the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body empowered to choose or dismiss the country's supreme leader.

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Moderates and reformists win majority in Iran's Assembly of Experts

The results are seen as a boost for President Rouhani and his reformist allies. Credit: Reuters

Moderates and reformists in Iran have won a majority of seats in the Assembly of Experts, which elects the country's most powerful official - the Supreme Leader.

It is seen as a boost to President Rouhani, but a large blow to Iran's hardliners, with two prominent conservative clerics, losing their seats in the 88-member assembly.

The moderates and reformists won 59 percent of the assembly's seats throughout the country.

In the capital Tehran, they won 15 out of the 16 seats available.

ITV News Middle East News Editor tweeted that it was a "major victory" for President Rouhani.

The new make-up of the Assembly of Experts is seen as particularly significant due to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's reported ill-health.

The vote for members of the Assembly of Experts was also held on the same day as Iran's parliamentary elections.

The elections were the first since international sanctions were lifted in July after a significant nuclear deal with a group of world powers that include the UK and US.

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Polls close in first Iran election since historic nuclear deal

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