In a far ranging and combatative interview, Ahmadinejad stated that he was against the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi, both of whom have been held since disputing Ahmadinejad’s victory in 2009. Ahmadinejad refused to comment on whether he would run this year.
Commander Hossein Ashtari, the Chief of Police in Iran, declared at a meeting in Qom that there are no anticipated security problems.
Outgoing President Rouhani urged the candidates and campaigners in this year’s election not to “destroy the government” through criticism of the current government.
Rumours began circulating on social media yesterday that an assassination attempt was made against senior IRGC advisor, Rostam Qasemi, during a visit to Lebanon. His son Morteza, using his father’s Twitter account, confirmed the attempt, saying his father was unharmed and will continue his official visit in Lebanon. Preliminary reports are accusing Israel.
Mojtaba Shoja’i, the Governor of Dalgan County in Sistan-Baluchistan Province, called for citizens to vote according to the ability, knowledge and energy of candidates rather than along ethnic, sectarian, tribal or family lines. While the Governor was referring specifically to local council elections due on the same day at the Presidential vote, his statement was relevant in both types of election.
Potential candidate and senior IRGC officer Mohsen Rezaei outlined his plan to reform the military and replace conscripts with professional soldiers in the long term. Rezaei argued the youth could be mobilised to strengthen the country through increased production. Rezaei’s comments were in response to current parliamentary debates aimed at remedying the high number of Iranian youth seeking exemption from conscription.
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, an influential member of the Guardian Council and Assembly of Experts, and the de facto Friday prayer leader in Tehran, stated that every vote in the upcoming election was a vote in support of the regime, mirroring the Supreme Leader’s remarks on Nowruz.
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in his annual new year address, stated that every Iranian, “even those who may not accept the [country’s] leadership” should participate in this year’s election in the name of strengthening Iran. Khamenei argued that Iran’s enemies, namely the US and Israel, were attempting to disrupt the elections by encouraging non-participation, and he expressed his hope that the people will vote in order to demonstrate their rejection of Iran’s enemies. Khamenei also warned potential candidates that “the election must be a symbol of national unity, and not a symbol of bipartisanship, division and bipolarity”.
In a controversial interview with Sputnik, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a potential contender in this year’s election, stated that it would be “logical” to include Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in negotiations to restart the JCPOA nuclear deal. His statement contradicts the Foreign Ministry’s rejection of Saudi involvement in negotiations, and comes one day after the Supreme Leader stated that the next president should revive the nuclear deal.