Can Khatami bring back Iran to the West?

There's a famous challenger in Iran's presidential election election - former President Mohammed Khatami. He declared his candidacy Sunday. Khatami is a popular reformist who sought detente with the West during his tenure between 1997 and 2005.

While the West might feel a bit of relief at the announcement it's not a foregone conclusion that he could topple the hard-line, anti-West nationalist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Khatami remains one of the most popular figures in Iran and commands more respect than Ahmadinejad both inside and outside of the country. That has led some analysts to predict a wind of change will blow across the country.

But others are not so sure.

They argue that Khatami's candidacy could reinvigorate conservatives to support Ahmadinejad, whose popularity has waned, even among his supporters. They say it might be just what Ahmadinejad needs to bounce back.

The change of administration in Washington could also influence the way Iranians vote in June. President Obama has indicated that he is willing to let diplomacy guide U.S. Iranian policy but so far that message doesn't appear to be registering with Ahmadinejad.