State-linked opinion poll and analysts put cleric and judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi as the dominant front-runner in an election many are likely to ignore amid economic hardship and calls for a boycott by liberals at home and abroad.
The restricted field may further dim the clerical establishment’s hopes of a high turnout amid growing public frustration over economic hardship and political restrictions.
Experts argue that a regimented Iran led by a hardliner president might be more confident in dealing with the West.
Many moderate and reformist candidates were disqualified by the country’s Guardian Council, a vetting body dominated by clerics. But public opinion is shifting in favour of a moderate candidate.
The Islamic Republic’s cleric-dominated top Guardian Council disqualifies all moderate and reformist candidates ahead of the June presidential election, paving the way for a conservative victory.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says he asked supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to intervene and warned "the heart of elections is competition. If you take that away it becomes a corpse."
The June 18 presidential election heats up as Chief Justice of Iran Ebrahim Raisi and Former speaker of the parliament, Ali Larijani, enter the race.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he seeks to be president once again, considering “the situation of the country, and the necessity for a revolution in the management of the country.”
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s unorthodox views towards Iran’s military establishment angers the supreme leader, deepening moderate-hardliner infighting as June elections approach.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says Tehran has decided on starting advanced centrifuges and refined uranium to make Israel understand it cannot stop the country from using nuclear technology.
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif says the sabotage at the Natanz nuclear facility negatively impact atomic deal talks in Vienna where Russia is putting on a united front with Iran against the US and Europe.
Since January, Iran has begun enriching uranium at up to 20 percent purity, a technical step away from weapons-grade levels.
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