Here in Iran, the polls remain open tonight for an extra three hours as authorities claim there were many accused to vote.

Although we've seen no evidence of such numbers here in Tehran, the poll has been deeply affected by the decision by the ruling authorities to reject thousands of candidates, mainly moderates and reformers.

I've been out in about here in the capital today.

Here's what I found the Air Shard mosque in uptown Tehran, a stark contrast from the presidential election here in 2017.

Then it was awash with voters.

Cues down the road today, space enough indeed for one man to declare that he no longer saw the point in voting.

Not even you don't have a booth.

I didn't matter much.

Successive elections here have swung between hardline, conservative and moderate and reformist politicians.

But this time many of those reformists and moderate candidates have simply bean excluded.

And that's why there is such frustration and forecasts of a seriously low turnout.

Yet I found a prominent academic who believes true democracy in Iran is on its way, I wrote at the moment is toward democracy now I am a revolutionary guy and I love Islamic Revolution.

Professor Side Layla's worked for the reformist president Khatami is an economic advisor and was imprisoned by hardline President Ahmadinejad.

He says it's the burgeoning middle classes who will bring about democracy.

So there's Mr Hatta me coming to see you?

Yes, almost immediately you came out of prison.

Yes, we are much more progressive than there.

Those days 60 to 70 person off Iranian lived in villages and now more than 80 person or around 80 person are living in urban areas.

If you want to put us to our policy poverty, you should move to the city.

And we did it true through revolution, Islamic revolution, I'd expected pessimism from this ex political prisoner.

Instead, there was this optimism.

I put it to him.

Surely the low turnout proves politics here is dead.

Never politics it never because if you vote, you're doing politics.

If you don't know you are doing politics.

At another mosque polling station outside the mosque itself, there is what Iranians call a martyr's graveyard.

Here are buried fallen soldiers from the Iran Iraq war to the present day.

This man fought in Syria, where Iran had been crucial in propping up Assad in his ruthless campaign to stay in power.

He was proud of participating in the election and proud to of fighting for his country in what he believes is a war to defend Iran to from the threat of Isis eat on young.

Yet they show your mom the most machine as levels the after Saudi Joan and behold the lottery entirely.

My own RICO hostage.

Yesterday, the valley mow his name between images of a d R fraud.

Eby entry in memory chap but normal.

Some other corner.

This parliamentary election is a prelude to the all important presidential contest.

Next year is the banning of moderate and reformist candidates in this election, a taste of what's to come.

At the same time, footage posted on social media appears to show a boycott by some groups off the election.

Empty polling stations have seen throughout the country, including images from Ahvaz, Mashad, Khorramabad, which in previous elections has beena particularly busy polling station to cast his vote.

This morning, the country's supreme leader declared that anyone who cares about Iran's national interests should participate in the election.

Now, this afternoon, the financial financial Action Task Force decided that Iran will be put on a blacklist for failing to tackle terrorism financing at home.

This will extend international sanctions at a time when the country had already hoped for business with Europe to help its struggling economy.

The outgoing parliament had voted to comply with the international regulations, but its decision was overruled by the Supreme Council.

But I had to discuss all this.

I'm joined by professor, said Zibakalam, a professor of political science at the University of Tehran professor.

Was it sensible of the ruling council to overrule Parliament's decision, actually to accept the international rules on financing terrorism?

After all, this is gonna trigger sanctions?

Yes, but I think that this is the problem which would be for their upcoming matchless because, uh, regardless off the number of participant the new imagine it's convenient about three mounts time.

That's the new parliament, the new parliament.

The new parliament on it would be confronted that the new parliament would be confronted with a huge task because there are a lot of expectations off the new new parliament.

I believe that given the fact that many potential voters for for reformist were absent they didn't take part in about the world in today's election.

So I believe that the hard liners would be the commanding in a commanding position in the new in the new parliament.

But fronting confronting terrible sanctions exactly on the one hand they would become fronting Trump.

On the other hand, they would be confronting the fact that because of the S a t f sanctions and there is a huge expectation by millions of Iranian who have been suffering during the past six years or so as a result off the United States sanctions against Iranian people, life has become very difficult in Iran.

So the new matchless it would become front and video monumental task.

For now, As you know, the polls are still open.

They're open for three hours longer than they were going to be because they say there are so many accused to get into her boat.

But everything we've seen here in Tehran shares a very small turner.

Well, Toby Toby, be more accurate.

The maybe the number of participants in large cities such as Tehran and other large cities be around 20% off the off the voters.

But the authorities are the authorities wanted 50%.

No, but in a small small in rural district, et cetera, the participation would be above 60 person, so the aggregate would be above would be around 50% for the whole country.

Briefly.

What do you think the effect of this poll will be on the presidential elections next year?

Does it mean there won't be any radicals or reformists?

Well, I believe that I believe that the next Iranian president, because off the fact that matchless would be dominated by the hard liners, would never to believe the hard liners in about in about 16 months, 17 months from now, we're going to have a presidential election.

I believe that maybe maybe Mr Medina shot.

Maybe he would.

He would come out for a candidate off course.

The Guardian Council would tend to oppose him.

But given the fact that the matchless is is dominated by the hard liners, it Z It was very difficult for the Guardian Council to this college for Medina shot or another hard liners, just briefly, I sense this place is feeling very depressed.

Have small depressed that I've seen it in the 30 40 years I've been coming here.

Do you share that view?

I wouldn't call it John depressed, but I would call it very, very hopeless that the younger generation what we call post revolution generation, many off them have given hope for for any meaningful changes.

Professor, Thank you very, very much.

You're welcome for joining us.

That crucial question of turnout is likely to become clear during tonight and results will start coming in tomorrow morning.

One more piece of news from here.

Health authorities have confirmed tonight two more people in Iran have died from carnivorous.

They were among 13 new cases of the virus all linked with the holy city of gone.

A total of five people have now died.