Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jun. 22 – The leader of the main ultra-conservative political grouping in Iran’s clergy-dominated regime described former President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as an “Islamic Fundamentalist” and said whichever candidate would win in Friday’s presidential elections, the result “will be a victory for us”.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Jun. 22 – One of Iran’s state-run news agencies announced the results of a pre-election poll for the election run-off due on Friday between frontrunner Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and contender Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, showing the latter had greater support.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Jun. 22 – In Iran’s South Khorrasan province (north-eastern Iran) 298,000 ballots were counted in the first round of the presidential elections despite the fact that there were only 270,000 eligible voters, a defeated presidential candidate stated in a conference yesterday evening.

New York Times: Aides to Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani initially said he would not be making any appearances in the final days before the presidential runoff on Friday against the conservative mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But as Mr. Rafsanjani’s campaign seemed to stall, he decided to visit Tehran University on Tuesday afternoon to help drum up votes. He might just as well have stayed home, many students said.

Daily Telegraph: Britain adopted a more confrontational policy towards Iran yesterday when officials assailed the credibility of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the likely winner of Friday’s presidential election run-off. Many Iranian reformists, alarmed that his opponent, the hardline former mayor of Teheran Mahmood Ahmadinejad, came second in the initial round of voting, have called on supporters to switch their votes to the 70-year-old Mr Rafsanjani despite the fact that he is a veteran of the regime.

Washington Post: Iranian security officials on Tuesday confiscated more than half a million wallet-size cards and posters endorsing Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani for president from a printing house in Tehran, according to employees of the shop. Employees said the posters and cards contained the words “repression,” “terrorizing,” “freedom” and “democracy.”