Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf withdrew from Iran’s presidential race Monday, paving the way for a head-to-head battle between President Hassan Rouhani and his leading hardline challenger in this week’s election. Ghalibaf called on his supporters to back conservative cleric and jurist Ebrahim Raisi in Friday’s vote, saying it was vital for the “preservation of … Read more
The 20,000 chanting fans might have come to support Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday but it was clear their real heroes were the ones still locked away by the regime. “Mousavi! Karroubi! Khatami!” they chanted at deafening volume, over and over, at the election rally in a stadium in western Tehran. Those first two … Read more
Iran’s armed forces warned President Hassan Rouhani against discussing the country’s defence programme after he criticised the anti-Israel slogans written on the side of ballistic missiles, local media reported on Saturday. During an election debate on Friday, Rouhani took the rare step of criticising the elite Revolutionary Guards for the provocative messages they wrote on … Read more
The six candidates standing in Iran’s presidential election squared off in their first ever live television debate Friday, with moderate President Hassan Rouhani coming under fire from a key rival. Televised debates are a relatively new feature of Iranian presidential elections, and are believed to have influenced the results of votes in 2009 and 2013. … Read more
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Tuesday on candidates for next month’s presidential election not to look to other countries as examples for progress. The May 19 election will see incumbent moderate Hassan Rouhani face off against two highly-touted conservative rivals. Speaking at a meeting of ambassadors from Muslim nations in Tehran, Khamenei encouraged … Read more
Iran’s former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that he won’t endorse other candidates in next month’s election, after he and his deputy were barred from running. “We clearly announce that we have not and will not support any candidate in the upcoming elections,” he said in a letter, signed by himself and his former … Read more
Campaigning began on Friday for Iran’s presidential election with incumbent Hassan Rouhani facing a tough battle against hardliners, though not from former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was barred from standing. Ahmadinejad’s disqualification by the conservative-run Guardian Council was no surprise — he had been advised not to run by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who … Read more
President Hassan Rouhani was among six candidates approved Thursday by Iran’s conservative-dominated Guardian Council to run in next month’s election while former leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was barred, state media reported. The other candidates selected were hardliners Ebrahim Raisi and Mostafa Mirsalim, Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, veteran politician Mostafa Hashemitaba and Rouhani’s ally and vice-president … Read more
President Hassan Rouhani was among six candidates approved Thursday by Iran’s conservative-dominated Guardian Council to run in next month’s election while former leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was barred, state media reported. The other candidates selected were hardliners Ebrahim Raisi and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, conservative Mostafa Mirsalim, former minister Mostafa Hashemitaba and Rouhani’s ally and vice-president Eshaq … Read more
Registration to run in Iran’s election on May 19 closed on Saturday, with more than 1,600 hopefuls throwing their hats in the ring. The conservative-controlled Guardian Council will whittle that number down over the next fortnight — normally to around half a dozen — with the campaign set to start on April 28. More than … Read more
Registration for next month’s Iranian presidential election closed on Saturday, with more than 1,600 hopefuls signing up, including a last-minute entry by Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The 55-year-old conservative mayor had given mixed signals about whether he would make a third bid for the presidency, but showed up at the interior ministry just before … Read more
Ebrahim Raisi, the leading candidate for Iran’s hardliners in next month’s presidential election, has left many wondering whether the country’s fragile opening to the West could be under threat. The 56-year-old judge and cleric registered on Friday for the May 19 vote and his candidacy is being closely watched by foreign investors and diplomats who … Read more
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the driving force behind a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, registered on Friday to run for re-election next month, state television footage showed. The politically moderate cleric faces a tougher than expected battle for a second term on May 19 as criticism mounts over the continued stagnation of the economy. … Read more
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and hardline challenger Ebrahim Raisi registered on Friday as candidates in next month’s election, setting up a bruising contest that could decide the future of the Islamic republic. Rouhani, a politically moderate cleric, has won praise since his landslide win in 2013 for taming inflation and reaching a groundbreaking nuclear deal … Read more
Iranian hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi registered on Friday to run for next month’s presidential election, state television showed. The 56-year-old has emphasised his concern for the poor and the high levels of unemployment — considered a weak spot for President Hassan Rouhani who also registered on Friday. “Despite all the efforts of previous governments, the … Read more
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and hardline challenger Ebrahim Raisi registered on Friday as candidates in next month’s election, setting up a bruising contest that could decide the future of the Islamic republic. Rouhani, a politically moderate cleric, has won praise since his landslide win in 2013 for taming inflation and reaching a groundbreaking nuclear deal … Read more
Iranian hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi registered on Friday to run for next month’s presidential election, state television showed. The 56-year-old has emphasised his concern for the poor and the high levels of unemployment — considered a weak spot for President Hassan Rouhani who also registered on Friday. “Despite all the efforts of previous governments, the … Read more
Ebrahim Raisi is a hardline judge who spent years in powerful backroom positions before emerging as a leading challenger for Iran’s presidential election next month. Born into a religious family in the holy city of Mashhad on August 23, 1960, Raisi is a “seyed” whose geneology is said to lead back to the Prophet Mohammed. … Read more
Ebrahim Raisi is a hardline judge who spent years in powerful backroom positions before emerging as a leading challenger for Iran’s presidential election next month. Born into a religious family in the holy city of Mashhad on August 23, 1960, Raisi is a “seyed” whose geneology is said to lead back to the Prophet Mohammed. … Read more
Iran’s former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the shock move on Wednesday of registering for next month’s presidential election, going against the advice of the supreme leader. Ahmadinejad had previously insisted he would not stand after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last year that his candidacy would have a “polarising” effect on the nation, and instead … Read more