Mehr-Alizadeh Documentary Airs, Censored

The first campaign documentary of Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh aired tonight, although parts of the original were censored. The removed sections amounted to 5-6 minutes of the 27 minute documentary, and included speeches by former Presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, and by disqualified candidates Mostafa Tajzadeh and Masoud Pezeshkian. The documentary focused on the disqualification of candidates and the backlash by voters. Mehr-Alizadeh had anticipated this censorship and had leaked a trailer earlier in the evening which included the sections that were eventually cut.

Read more at Khabaronline
Watch the uncensored version on YouTube

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Pezeshkian: “I Will Withdraw if Public Opinion Demands It”

Masoud Pezeshkian told a gathering of university students from the Student Basij Organisation that he would withdraw from the election if public opinion demands it, or at the request of the Supreme Leader, but he would not withdraw for factional reasons. Pezeshkian, a Reformist who is popular with some conservative elements of Iranian society (particularly in Iranian Azerbaijan), told the students that he opposes “the view that sees the people as either good or bad. Anyone who works for the growth of this country is a basiji”, adding that his motto was that “knowledge, collectivity and faith are a triangle that moves mountains”. 

Read more at Donya-e-Eqtesad

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Reformists Nominating their Own While Seeking Larijani

A spokesman from the Reform front told Tabnak that he had spoken to Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi, Masoud Pezeshkian and Mohammad-Reza Aref in recent days, and all had expressed their intentions to run for President. The Reformist movement is planning to announce several candidates for the election. However, as part of the usual horse-trading of elections, the spokesman added that they were also seeking Ali Larijani, who is not a Reformist, as a potential sympathetic high-profile candidate.

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Pezeshkian Criticises “Extremists” on JCPOA

Candidate Masoud Pezeshkian criticised “extremists” for arguing for a delay in negotiations on the JCPOA until after the election, saying that these Iranian extremists were the same as Israeli and American opponents to the nuclear deal. Pezeshkian added that these extremists believe if the new deal is signed before the election then the Reformists will win the Presidency, and therefore their approach to the nuclear negotiations is through self-interest, not the national interest.

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Pezeshkian: I will not step aside in favour of Larijani

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian stated in an interview that he would not step down as candidate in favour of former speaker of the Parliament, Ali Larijani. Pezeshkian’s comments reflect a controversy among Reformists about whether Reformists should stand aside to support moderate candidates. In 2013, the Reformist candidate Mohammad-Reza Aref stood down under pressure from senior Reformist who back moderate candidate Hassan Rouhani. In this election, non-Reformists like Ali Larijani and Mohammad-Javad Zarif are being considered as the Reformist choice, which has renewed the split in the movement.

Read more on Tasnim

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