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Iranwire – A day after being barred from running in Iran’s presidential race, Ali Larijani criticized the Guardian Council’s “non-transparent” disqualification process. Larijani, a former parliament speaker and current member of the Expediency Discernment Council, said in a statement addressed to the people that he had entered the election over concerns about Iran’s “dangerous” economic situation and sensitive domestic challenges, …

Iranwire – Iran’s Guardian Council announced the list of approved candidates for the country’s snap presidential election on Sunday. It confirmed the qualifications of six contenders while disqualifying some prominent figures. Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, Massoud Pezeshkian, Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Alireza Zakani, and Mustafa Pourmohammadi were qualified to run for the presidential seat. However, the Guardian Council, the …

iranintl – British bank Standard Chartered is accused of facilitating billions of dollars in transactions for funders of terrorist groups such as Hamas and al-Qaeda, according to new US court documents. Former Standard Chartered executive turned whistleblower Julian Knight claims, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, that US authorities either overlooked or concealed “damning evidence” of the bank’s involvement …

iranintl – As registration of candidates for the June 28 presidential election started in Iran on Thursday, some of the candidates have issued videos on social media to show off grassroot support. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s aides and supporters posted several of such videos even before the registration started. In a poorly produced video posted by a former Ahmadinejad aide, the former …

VOA – Ten days after Iran’s president died in a helicopter crash in the country’s north, Iranian authorities have not explained why his was the only helicopter that crashed in dense cloud cover out of three that had been flying officials back to Iran from a visit to the Azerbaijani border. Another unresolved question is how one of the passengers …

Iranwire – The Islamic Republic’s parliament on Tuesday re-elected hardliner Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf as its Speaker.  Of the 287 lawmakers voting, 198 backed Qalibaf to retain the position he first assumed in 2021.  He initially became the Speaker after a series of unsuccessful presidential bids and 12 years as the mayor of Tehran. Qalibaf is also known for his role as a …

iranintl – Members of the Assembly of Experts, a body tasked with choosing the Islamic Republic’s next supreme leader elected senior cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani as the Assembly’s chairman on Tuesday. Before his death in a helicopter crash on Sunday, former President Ebrahim Raisi was the most likely candidate for the post. Following his death, the Assembly, and …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Worse, abandoning Israel sends a troubling message to U.S. allies worldwide: in times of crisis, do not rely on American support. The Biden administration has eroded trust and damaged U.S. credibility on the global stage even further than it already had done after surrendering Afghanistan and allowing China to kill more than a million Americans with Covid-19, or …

Iranwire – The heavy presence of Iran’s Supreme Leader’s bodyguards during a recent meeting with senior commanders of the armed forces reignited discussions surrounding the protection of Ali Khamenei.  His security is under specific protocols overseen by the IRGC, which is responsible for safeguarding the leader and the clerical establishment. Protecting the leader of the Islamic Republic involves adherence to …

RFL/RE – The United States wants to force a gradual shift in Iran’s “decision-making calculus” by signing a defense deal with Saudi Arabia and securing the normalization of relations between Riyadh and Israel. “We continue to work with allies and partners to enhance their capabilities to deter and counter the threats Iran poses, impose costs on Iran for its actions, …