"I have voted in every election in Iran," said a retired university professor named Nasser Ahadi, who brandished an ink-stained finger in a "victory" sign after he cast his ballot. "The fundamentalists...the group that are now governing this country will win this election," he predicted.  Not all Iranians were enthusiastic about the election, though.  "I'm not voting," said a mustachioed man in a small Tehran tailor shop, who asked not to be named because of the plain-clothed security officer who stood conspicuously outside listening in on the conversation. "I voted for Ahmadinejad before, and I regret it because he's not doing a good job," he said, referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  About 3,400 candidates are vying for 290 seats in the parliamentary election.  The Islamic nation faces an escalating international outcry and Western sanctions over its nuclear program, prompting leaders to call for a higher voter turnout to establish legitimacy.  Days before the vote, campaigning intensified as workers distributed leaflets and plastered candidate posters along tree-lined streets in Tehran. State television broadcast wall-to-wall programming encouraging voters to cast their ballots.  "Our progress in science and economics depends on your vote," slogans read in the publicity campaign that included a quote from the late founder of the nation, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, saying "The measure of a nation is its vote."  In Iran, elections are heralded by the revolutionary regime as a popular demonstration that it enjoys the overwhelming support of the population.  The Interior Ministry predicted voter turnout of about 60%, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.  Results from smaller precincts could be available in 48 hours, but larger cities may not have complete results until 72 hours, the news agency said.
Iranians headed to the polls Friday in a parliamentary election, marking the first nationwide balloting since a disputed vote triggered massive protests nearly three years ago.In ornate mosques that...