Pro-Reform Iranian Religious Leader Dies Aged 83

Yousef Saanei
Yousef Saanei
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Pro-Reform Iranian Religious Leader Dies Aged 83

Yousef Saanei
Yousef Saanei

Iran´s state-run IRNA news agency on Saturday reported that a pro-reform religious leader, who sided with an opposition presidential candidate during the turmoil following the controversial 2009 elections, has died. He was 83.

Ayatollah Yousef Saanei died in a hospital in the holy city of Qom after being hospitalized for two days with a broken hip and wrist, IRNA said.

In 2009, Saanei had supported opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and criticized hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who beat Mousavi in that year's disputed elections. Mousavi's electoral defeat led to the widespread Green Movement protests, which were put down by Iranian security forces.

That year, some opposition websites quoted Saanei as saying, "Ahmadinejad is not the president and cooperation with him is haram (forbidden by Islamic law)."

Many religious hard-liners in Iran isolated Saanei because of the positions he staked out after the 2009 elections. The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom stripped him of his authority to issue religious edicts, and his website was blocked a year later.

Saanei also supported Iran's current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate within the country's political system, during his successful 2013 presidential run. Many members of Rouhani's Cabinet visited Saanei after taking office.



Iran Confirms Meeting European Officials on Friday

FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meets with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji (unseen) in Beirut, Lebanon June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meets with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji (unseen) in Beirut, Lebanon June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
TT
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Iran Confirms Meeting European Officials on Friday

FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meets with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji (unseen) in Beirut, Lebanon June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meets with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji (unseen) in Beirut, Lebanon June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed on Thursday he would meet his British, French and German counterparts as well as the European Union's top diplomat on Friday in Geneva, Iranian state media reported.

He said the meeting had come at the request of the three European states.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Thursday warned the US again to avoid getting directly involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel, saying in a statement that “direct” role by the Americans would “expand the conflict to the region.”

“We warn the criminal United States: any direct involvement in this war would lead to its expansion across the region and will result in severe and irreparable blows,” the guard said in a statement carried by Iranian state TV.

The warning echoes recent statements made by other Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and comes as US President Donald Trump has said he’s not looking for a fight with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary.