Reformist activist Saeed Hajjarian told Donya-e-Eqtesad that it is likely that Reformist candidate Mostafa Tajzadeh would be disqualified by the Guardian Council. However, Hajjarian added that Tajzadeh has had the opportunity to present his plans for reforming Iran, and this would give him the opportunity to organise a political party around this program after the election. Tajzadeh, who announced his candidacy on Sunday, was imprisoned for seven years after the 2009 election protests, adding to the controversy around his candidacy.
Jalili: Burden of Sanctions must be on Authorities, not the People
Conservative candidate Saeed Jalili, in reflecting on the Rouhani administration, said that its shortcoming was its focus on one issue, the JCPOA, in which it did not succeed. Jalili added that if the officials are unable to counter the sanctions against Iran, then it is inevitable that the burden will be on the people, which Jalili said is unacceptable.
Dehghan Approaches Musicians for Campaign
A music magazine has reported that the campaign manager of IRGC candidate Hossein Dehghan has approached three musicians about including their music and commissioning performances in support of his campaign. The musicians include two popular singers – Mohsen Chavoshi and Mostafa Ragheb – and classical Iranian musician Salar Aghili. According to the report, Chavoshi and Aghili had turned down the requests, but nothing is known about Ragheb’s response. In recent decades, candidates have sought the support of musicians, actors and other celebrities for their campaign.
Ghasemi Officially Announces Candidacy
IRGC officer Rostam Ghasemi officially announced his candidacy today, after more than a month of campaigning, stating that he would focus on fixing Iran’s economic problems and that he was ready “to make Iran proud”. Ghasemi is a controversial figure; an Oil Minister under Ahmadinejad, he is on an EU sanctions list, was the target of an apparent assassination attempt in Lebanon in March, and recently involved himself in a war of words with the Foreign Ministry regarding the extent of the IRGC presence in Yemen.
Leaked Audio Files Dominates News
The leaked Zarif interview dominated news headlines today in Iran. Most media outlets reported it as embarrassing to the Foreign Minister, although some speculated the recordings might help him. Kayhan, the mouthpiece for the Supreme Leader’s Office, was hostile, taking issue with Zarif’s criticisms of IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani, accusing the interviewer of sedition (he was imprisoned after the 2009 election), and depicting the Foreign Minister as a stooge and sacrificial victim for Western powers.
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.
Rafiqdoust Criticises Saeed Mohammad
In a continuation of the division in the IRGC about Saeed Mohammad’s candidacy, Mohsen Rafiqdoust, another IRGC candidate, today said that he did not know Mohammad professionally, but he did know that Mohammad was fired from the Khatam al-Anbiya rather than resigned. Rafiqdoust added that “one of the conditions of the Presidency is to be a political and religious man and he [Mohammad] is neither”. Rafiqdoust has already attacked a number of former IRGC opponents in this campaign.
Four Reformist Candidate Celebrate Iftar Together
Three Reformist candidates – Mostafa Kavakebian, Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh and Masoud Pezeshkian – met in the office of a fourth, Mohsen Rahami, to celebrate iftar on Saturday night. The meeting, which was not advertised to the media, was allegedly to discuss the political situation in Iran and strategies for the Reformists in the Presidential election.
Leaked Interview with Zarif
A 3-hour interview with Foreign Minister, and potential candidate, Mohammad-Javad Zarif was leaked today, in which Zarif accuses the Russians of trying to sabotage the JCPOA agreement in 2015. Zarif also ruminates on the competing objectives of his office with the interests of Qasem Soleimani and the Quds Force. Zarif also comments on Ahmadinejad’s attempt to talk to the Americans about nuclear issues without first seeking the permission of the Supreme Leader, adding that “Death to America is just another slogan for Ahmadinejad”. The Foreign Ministry has called the leaked audio “distorted and fragmented”.
“Ahmandinejad Doesn’t Want to be Approved as a Candidate”
Political analyst Naser Imani believes that Ahmadinejad is not seeking to be approved for election, and he is instead lobbying for future leadership beyond the election. Imani noted that “any candidate who wants to be confirmed has been hiding their radical positions for at least four or five months, but Ahmadinejad does not want to be President and wants the Guardian Council to disqualify him, so he can take an even tougher stance”. Instead, Imani said, Ahmadinejad is creating an opposition to the government in Iran.