The third day of registrations took place on the festival of Eid al-Fitr, the feast marking the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Among the prominent figures who registered were parliamentarians Mohammad-Reza Sabbaghian and Mahmoud Sadeghi, high-profile diplomat Ramin Mehmanparast, prominent Reformist Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh.
Ramin Mehmanparast, a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman who represented Iran in several diplomatic posts abroad, said in an interview that Commander Qasem Soleimani was not just a military man but a diplomat and strategist. Mehmanparast went on to say that he considered the comments made by Mohammad-Javad Zarif in the leaked audio as in accurate.
Read the interview at Mashregh News
Ramin Mehmanparast, who served as spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry during the Ahmadinejad administration, yesterday sought to distance himself from the controversial former President. Mehmanparast stated that “I have no political relationship with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During his presidency, despite some differences of opinion, I was the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked with two foreign ministers, Manouchehr Mottaki and Ali Akbar Salehi”. Mehmanparast, who announced his candidacy on Tuesday, likely directed his comments both to potential voters and to the Guardian Council, which rumour has it has already notified Ahmadinejad that it won’t approve his candidacy.
Seasoned diplomat and current ambassador to Lithuania and Poland, Ramin Mehmanparast, today announced his intention to run for President. Mehmanparast has served Iran’s Foreign Ministry in various capacities over the years and will likely promote his strengths on foreign relations in his campaign. Mehmanparast is well known in Iran for his marriage to the famous actor, Maryam Kayvani.