The Guardian Council of Iran has approved the country's hard-line parliament speaker and five other candidates to run in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for June 28. This decision comes in the wake of a tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others. Notably, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been barred from running in the election.
The approved candidates will now engage in a two-week campaign period to replace Raisi, who was a staunch protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The selection of candidates by the Guardian Council indicates a strategic move by Iran's Shiite theocracy to navigate through recent low-turnout elections and ongoing tensions surrounding the country's nuclear program and regional conflicts.
