In reply to Sharp:
iran has far from the ideal form of leadership, with the ayatollahs, but thats what they have, after a revolution of their own, so thats what they have to work with. rouhani is, i think, the best option they have for playing that game out. his large voter base is the best thing to cool the ayatollahs position for now, and hopefully set a new course for political processes (recall its not rouhanis platform that jailed the reformists and clamped down on some of the smaller parties).
iran is a long game, and as bruce points out, one they are playing for themselves. they are subject to factors and elements unique to their nation and misunderstood by much of the world. they live in an interesting neighbourhood and have regional responsabilities (of varying natures) that carry enormous gravity. iran lives bang smack center of what most nations only ever see on tv.
i keep harping on about him, but i think to give dimension to iranian politics in general and rouhani in particular, have a look into khatami and his presidency. with the term 'reformists' being passed about a lot its forgotten that reform in iran takes many forms, and this is a game that needs playing at many levels. i dont think its a time to edge towards a revolution, dissent or upheavel. this one needs to be played top down. denying reformists a stand is of course wrong, but change too dynamic in a place like iran has a history of nastiness.