The Guardian | Patrick Wintour: Iran�s conservatives are on the brink of a landslide victory in the country�s parliamentary elections as forecasts show them taking more than two-thirds of the seats.

The reformists, the largest grouping in the outgoing parliament, have been decisively beaten, with predictions showing them taking only 17 seats in the 290-strong parliament. The principalists � or conservatives � were on course to take around 200 seats, including all 30 seats in the capital, Tehran, previously a stronghold of the reformers.

Although they are a diverse group, many of the senior conservatives are former supporters of ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The result is a rebuff for those that had pushed for greater engagement with the west, and is likely to constrain Iran�s foreign policy options. The parliament could press for Iran to quit the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

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