Ghalibaf Warns Presidential Candidates Against Harming Iran’s Image

 Two candidates wait for their turn to register their candidacy for the presidential race at the election center on Saturday (AFP).
Two candidates wait for their turn to register their candidacy for the presidential race at the election center on Saturday (AFP).
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Ghalibaf Warns Presidential Candidates Against Harming Iran’s Image

 Two candidates wait for their turn to register their candidacy for the presidential race at the election center on Saturday (AFP).
Two candidates wait for their turn to register their candidacy for the presidential race at the election center on Saturday (AFP).

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned presidential candidates that exchanging accusations would convey a “dark picture” of the country’s conditions and raise people’s doubts about the future.

“The large number of candidates from different political spectrums shows that political elites of various orientations accept the election process in Iran, consider the presidency to be influential, and have sufficient powers to bring about change and transformation,” the speaker said in a session on Sunday.

He went on to say that the high candidacy rate “is a promising start for the establishment of effective elections with a great participation,” adding that the seriousness of the electoral atmosphere was for the country’s interest and a “demand of all those who are keen on Iran.”

The upcoming presidential polls, which will be held on June 18, will be the first in the country after the severe economic crisis, which led the Iranians to take to the streets on Dec. 2017, five months before the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Guardian Council, Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, announced that the elections would be based on “the constitution and the conditions stipulated in Article 115”, in addition to the “general procedures” stipulated by Iran’s spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, in reference to the conditions recently announced by the Council, which President Hassan Rouhani expressed reservations about.

Since the opening of registration on Tuesday, up to 592 candidates, including 40 women, have submitted their candidacy to the Ministry of Interior.

Kadkhodaei noted that the General Administration for the Elections in the Guardian Council, which is responsible for the preliminary review and preparation of the required documents, began its work on Sunday, before presenting the files to the twelve members of the Council.

He added that the process of reviewing the requests would officially begin on Monday.

The Guardian Council has specified that “all nominees must be between 40 and 70 years of age, hold at least a master’s degree or its equivalent, have work experience of at least four years in managerial posts... and have no criminal record”, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV. The new terms come in the implementation of a 2016 directive from Khamenei.



Italian Minister Requests Revoking of Arrest of Detained Iranian Businessman

Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio looks on as he leaves at the end of the annual Confindustria assembly in Rome, September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio looks on as he leaves at the end of the annual Confindustria assembly in Rome, September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
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Italian Minister Requests Revoking of Arrest of Detained Iranian Businessman

Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio looks on as he leaves at the end of the annual Confindustria assembly in Rome, September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio looks on as he leaves at the end of the annual Confindustria assembly in Rome, September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo

The Italian justice minister has filed a request to revoke the arrest of an Iranian businessman detained in Milan who was wanted by the United States on suspicion of involvement in a drone strike against its forces, the justice ministry said on Sunday.

Mohammad Abedini was arrested in Milan last month on a US warrant for allegedly supplying drone parts that Washington says were used in a 2024 attack that killed three US service members in Jordan.

"Minister (Carlo) Nordio filed a request with the Milan Court of Appeal to revoke the arrest of Iranian citizen Abedininajafabadi Mohammad," a justice ministry statement said, Reuters reported.

Under Italian law, courts must abide by the minister's request.

In his statement, Nordio wrote that legal conditions were not in place to extradite Abedini as that could only be done for offences punishable both in Italy and in the United States.

The statement said violations of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) did not correspond to conduct recognizable as a crime under Italian law. It added there was no evidence corroborating the other charges of supporting a terrorist organization.

Earlier this week, Nordio said the US had not yet submitted a formal request to extradite Abedini.