Iranian state media reported on Friday that former parliament speaker Ali Larijani has announced his candidacy for presidential elections scheduled for next month, following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
Elections were originally scheduled for 2025 but were brought forward following Raisi's death on May 19.
The Interior Ministry on Thursday began accepting candidates for the early voting scheduled for June 28, and presidential candidates have until Monday to apply.
Larijani, 66, who is considered a relatively moderate in Iran for his foreign policy views, submitted his application on Friday morning, according to footage broadcast by state television.
He told reporters that one of his “priorities” if elected would be to “resolve the (U.S.) sanctions issue” and improve the country's economy.
But like all Iranian presidential candidates, his candidacy must be approved by the Guardian Council, a panel of 12 jurists who have the power to disqualify candidates.
Larijani was one of several reformist and moderate candidates disqualified by the council ahead of the 2021 general elections that brought ultra-conservative Raisi to power.
Turnout in these elections was the lowest ever for a presidential poll, at 48.8%.
Larijani served in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and held several senior positions in the country for more than 30 years.
He oversaw Iran's nuclear negotiations with the West in the early 2000s but resigned after two years, citing “serious differences” with populist former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Larijani, who supported Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and served three terms as speaker of parliament, holds a doctorate in philosophy and comes from a powerful family with ties to Iran's clerical leadership.
On Thursday, another former nuclear negotiator, ultra-conservative Said Djalili, known for his hardline stance, registered as a presidential candidate.
Parviz Fattah, a former Revolutionary Guards member who runs an investment fund with ties to the leader, may also register as a candidate.
Iranian media has also named interim president Mohammad Mokbel as a possible candidate.
Several low-key, moderate politicians are also likely to enter the race.
