AFP: Sole reformist candidate Mohammad Reza Aref pulled out of Iran’s presidential race on Tuesday as the reformist camp including ex-president Mohammad Khatami urged voters to rally around Hassan Rowhani, a moderate.
Aref quits Iran vote as reformists back moderate Rowhani
Iran denies ‘problem’ at sole nuclear reactor
AFP: Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday denied its Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant had suffered a malfunction, saying the process of its start-up was going ahead without a hitch.
Iran launches rearmed destroyer on Persian Gulf
AP: Iran says it has launched a 50-year-old destroyer on the Persian Gulf after overhauling it and rearming with modern missiles. Since 1992, Iran has been pursuing a self-sufficiency military program, reportedly producing its own jet fighters, tanks, missiles and light submarines as well as torpedoes.
Iranian hardliner drops out of election, narrows field for allies
Reuters: A conservative former parliament speaker dropped out of the June 14 Iranian presidential election on Monday in a move to consolidate the hardline vote and lessen the chances of an upset favoring a moderate candidate.
Iranian diplomat detained for three months without lawyer: sources
Reuters: A senior Iranian diplomat linked to Iran’s reformists, who has been detained at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison for three months, has been denied access to his attorney for the entire time, sources familiar with the case told Reuters on Monday.
Reports: Iran may disqualify centrist candidate
AP: Iranian media are reporting that a centrist presidential candidate may be disqualified from the June 14 election. The report late Sunday by the semi-official Mehr news agency says the country’s electoral watchdog may review Hasan Rowhani’s qualifications.
Iran clerical group for Velayati as president: report
AFP: A leading Iranian conservative clerical group has endorsed veteran diplomat Ali Akbar Velayati to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 14 presidential election, a media report said on Sunday.
Protester killed outside Iran’s Beirut embassy
Reuters: A Lebanese protester was killed outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut on Sunday after gunmen from the Iranian-backed Shi’ite militia Hezbollah opened fire when anti-Hezbollah Shi’ite demonstrators approached, witnesses and officials said.
Ahmadinejad visits Iran heavy water reactor site
AP: Iran says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has visited a planned nuclear reactor that’s part of a growing dispute between Tehran and the U.N.’s atomic agency.
Iran’s ‘democratic elections’ only missing one thing – choice
The Telegraph: To many voters casting a ballot in this week’s Iranian presidential elections, there will be little real difference between the boxes marked “Saeed Jalili” and “Mohamed Qalibaf”.
