Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Ramezan Sharif said on Wednesday that the military “will not side with any candidate” in presidential elections scheduled for later this month.
Iran is set to hold elections following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
Iran's presidential election campaign kicked off last Monday after the Guardian Council of Iran, which oversees elections and legislation, approved six presidential candidates, including five conservatives and one reformist.
Sharif asserted that his forces would “not interfere” in supporting or opposing any candidate, and said the IRGC was interested in ensuring broad participation and the integrity of the electoral process.
State news agency Mehr said the statement referred to a candidate with ties to the Revolutionary Guards, alluding to Iran's hardline Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, who held a senior position in the Guards before entering politics.
Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, a policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned presidential candidates against presenting an “unrealistic” picture of the country's current situation, promising an ideal atmosphere in the future, or raising the ceiling of people's expectations.
