Crossword Genius

Nation that had me as president? (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

iran

'nation' is the definition.
(Iran is an example)

'had me as president?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'me' could be 'i' and 'i' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'ran' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'that' is the link.

(Other definitions for iran that I've seen before include "Tehran's country" , "Islamic republic on the Persian Gulf" , "Country of western Asia" , "Middle East country" , "Iraq's neighbour" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app