Abdol-Nasser Hemmati met with Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, for nearly 2 hours where the candidate discussed his plans for the presidency with the influential figure. Although he did not explicitly express support for Hemmati, the meeting was warm and Khomeini, who withdrew his candidacy at the request of the Supreme Leader, clearly still intends to play a role in this election.
Hassan Khomeini said of the disqualification of candidates that “any attempt to deny the republican element of the Islamic Republic is counter-revolutionary.” Khomeini, who is the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini and did not nominate in these elections at the request of the Supreme Leader, added in a direct reference to the Guardian Council’s spokesperson that “anyone who says that the system remains legitimate even if the people do not participate in the elections, that person doesn’t know the spirit and nature of the Islamic Republic”.
Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif reportedly had a meeting today with former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami and prominent politician and cleric Hassan Rouhani to discuss his potential candidacy. Zarif, who has been endorsed by the Reform Front, reportedly informed Khatami and Khomeini that he will not register for these elections. Recently, Zarif has been subject to controversy due to a scandal involving a leaked audio file, and yesterday was alleged to have also sworn upon the Qur’an that he did not intend to run.
Ali-Mohammad Namazi, a member of the Reformist Executives of Construction Party, told Donya-ye Eqtesad said “the most serious rival for Presidential candidates this time around is turnout. I think only about 20-25% of voters will participate”. Namazi points to a real fear that public dissatisfaction coupled with COVID restrictions will lead to an abysmally low turnout. In the same interview, Namazi stated that Hassan Khomeini’s decision to withdraw from nominating was disappointing for the Reformists, although there was still hope that Mohammad-Javad Zarif might run.
Ali Motahari, in commenting on Hassan Khomeini’s announcement that the Supreme Leader had asked him not to run for president, said that he believed this was the right decision: “I personally oppose clerics being placed in government executive positions, especially in the Presidency, whether Seyyed Hassan Khomeini or others”. The past four out of five Iranian Presidents have all been clerics.
Hassan Khomeini stated today that the Supreme Leader had asked him not to run for President, according to the Iranian Labor News Agency. The grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini said that he had been encouraged by many Iranians who consider him the only one able to unite the country, but he had waited until he had spoken to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, about the issue. Khomeini that Khamenei addressed him as his son, and said it was not appropriate for him to run at this time.
Hassan Khomeini yesterday stated that for Iran to truly return to the people, it would need an inclusive election in which everybody was represented. His comments clearly were directed at hardline elements in the Guardian Council which vets candidates. Khomeini also took aim at censorship of social media, stating that the government’s attempts to filter Telegram had failed, and it was ludicrous that they would consider the same for other social media apps.
Controversial television personality Azadeh Namdari was found dead in her home in Saadatabad, Tehran. Namdari had been banned from Iranian screens following her appearance abroad without hijab. Potential candidate Ayatollah Seyyed Hassan Khomeini shared her image on Instagram with the words “Rest in Peace”.