Turkmen Sunni Leader Endorses Raisi

Haj Akhund Galdi Kamali, a senior member of the Sunni jurisprudential council of Iran, told his congregation in North Khorasan province to vote for Ebrahim Raisi. The Haj Akhund said “all of you dear Turkmen people of North Khorasan, wherever you are and whatever your inclination and thoughts, are expected to be an enthusiastic and public presence at the ballot box with your vote for Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on Friday the 18th” of June.

Read more at MashreghNews

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Rezaei Responds to his Parody

Mohsen Rezaei has been the candidate with the most internet parodies over the last week, having featured in many memes on social media. Taking aim at a particular meme that played on his use of Iranian currency in several election campaigns, depicting him using the same campaign as an older man in the future, Rezaei responded saying “Dear people of Iran, my wish is that no one is poor in this country; my wish is for the wealth of the country to reach you; my wish is peace, happiness and prosperity for all of you; my wish is your wish”.

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Khamenei Complains of Disqualifications, Guardian Council Responds

In his address on the anniversary of Khomeini’s death, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei complained of the disqualification of some candidates, saying that some were unjustly disqualified and “persecuted” on false information about family, and should be compensated. The Guardian Council quickly responded with spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei tweeting that the Leader’s words were to be obeyed and that they would make an announcement soon. The reference to family made it clear that Khamenei was speaking about Ali Larijani. Later that evening, the Guardian Council issued a statement in which they agreed with the Leader’s comments, but said the “false” information had not influenced their decision making and so no changes would be made to the list of candidates. Ali Larijani then published a handwritten letter to the Supreme Leader, in which he thanked him for “demanding the elimination of oppression and persecution as occurred in the examination of the qualifications of presidential candidates” before praising his “greatness, magnanimity and spirit of righteousness of the Imam (Khomeini)”.

Read report at BBC Persian

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Khomeini’s Death is Mourned

The thirty-second anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Revolution, first Supreme Leader of Iran and founder of the Islamic Republic, occurred today. The day is a large public holiday which ordinarily involves a procession to his grave at the Imam Khomeini Shrine in South Tehran. His successor, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, addressed the nation, saying that Khomeini considered voting a religious duty and, under certain circumstances, not voting a terrible sin.

Read a summary of Khamenei’s speech at Tasnim

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Hemmati: Zarif is a Strong Patriotic Diplomat

Abdol-Naser Hemmati described Mohammad-Javad Zarif as a “strong and patriotic diplomat”, adding that if the outgoing Foreign Minister does not want to be part of his government, he will always benefit from his advice. In the Clubhouse session, Hemmati positioned himself as a strong actor on foreign policy, saying “interaction (with the West) does not mean compromise” and stating that his first priority was to increase the importation of COVID vaccines to the country. Read more at IRNA

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Jalili: Outlines his Plans

In an interview, Saeed Jalili said that the people must follow the shadow of the government, meaning working side-by-side with the government’s efforts to improve Iran. Jalili blamed most of the country’s problems on domestic mismanagement, saying that if the government is in sync with the people, the country can “leap” forward. Jalili’s discourse was full of religious meaning, as he referred to efforts to tackle the nation’s shortcomings as a jihad, and sought inspiration in governance from Imam Ali.

Read more at Tasnim

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Rezaei Unveils Housing Plan

Citing his experience from the Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezaei outlined his plans for solving Iran’s housing crisis. Rezaei said that he will encourage banks to offer loans on a 10% deposit, and interest payments of up to 18% will be covered by the government as a subsidy, with the mortgage holder only required to pay the price of the house. Rezaei added that with this plan, he can build 2 million houses per year and attract foreign investment to drive the economy forward.

Read more at Mashregh

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