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.



US Denies Plan to Reduce Its Diplomatic Footprint in Africa

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters)
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US Denies Plan to Reduce Its Diplomatic Footprint in Africa

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters)

The United States would drastically reduce its diplomatic footprint in Africa and scrap State Department offices dealing with climate change, democracy and human rights, according to a draft White House order published by The New York Times newspaper.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied the report. He said The New York Times had fallen “victim to another hoax.”

“This is fake news,” Rubio posted on X.

However, a copy of the draft viewed by AFP calls for “full structural reorganization” of the State Department by October 1 of this year.

The aim, the draft order says, is “to streamline mission delivery, project American strength abroad, cut waste, fraud, abuse, and align the Department with an America First Strategic Doctrine.”

The biggest change would be organizing US diplomatic efforts into four regions: Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific -- with no equivalent focus on Africa.

The current Africa Bureau would be eliminated. In its place would be a “Special Envoy Office for African Affairs” who reports to the White House's internal National Security Council, rather than the State Department.

“All non-essential embassies and consulates in Sub-Saharan Africa shall be closed,” the draft order says, with all remaining missions consolidated under a special envoy “using targeted, mission-driven deployments.”

While the draft executive order obtained by AFP has not been discussed publicly by officials, it comes amid a flurry of moves to cut decades-old US initiatives and to question long-held alliances, including with NATO.

An earlier proposed plan leaked to US media would see the State Department's entire budget slashed by half.

The new draft order says current offices dealing with climate change, oceans, global criminal justice, and human rights would be “eliminated.”

The US footprint in Canada -- a historic US ally that President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested should be annexed and made a 51st state -- would likewise get a downgrade.

The diplomatic presence would see a “significantly reduced team” and the embassy in Ottawa would “significantly downscale.”