عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

‘Shadow Candidate’ Phenomenon Prevails in Iran’s Presidential Race

Saeed Mohammad, a former Revolutionary Guards general, registers as a candidate for the presidential election at the Interior Ministry, in Tehran, Iran May 11, 2021. (WANA via Reuters)
Saeed Mohammad, a former Revolutionary Guards general, registers as a candidate for the presidential election at the Interior Ministry, in Tehran, Iran May 11, 2021. (WANA via Reuters)
    London, Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

‘Shadow Candidate’ Phenomenon Prevails in Iran’s Presidential Race

Saeed Mohammad, a former Revolutionary Guards general, registers as a candidate for the presidential election at the Interior Ministry, in Tehran, Iran May 11, 2021. (WANA via Reuters)
Saeed Mohammad, a former Revolutionary Guards general, registers as a candidate for the presidential election at the Interior Ministry, in Tehran, Iran May 11, 2021. (WANA via Reuters)

The phenomenon of the “shadow candidate” is prevailing in Iran’s presidential race scheduled for June 18, amid a high number of participants from the both the reformist and conservative camps.

The advisor to the Iranian spiritual guide for cultural affairs and the head of the coalition of revolutionary forces, Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel called on his allies to “exclusively” support the chief justice, Ebrahim Raisi, who submitted his candidacy on Saturday.

This is his second run for the presidency. In 2017, he was defeated by incumbent President Hassan Rouhani.

“The time has come to take a step towards another stage, with the end of the registration of candidates in the presidential elections, amid a wide range of political trends,” Haddad-Adel said in a statement released by Iranian official agencies.

He continued: “It is the duty of all revolutionary forces... to deploy the utmost effort to support the election race.” He pledged that their candidate would work to fight corruption and alleviate people’s problems.

Meanwhile, ISNA published on Sunday a list of the most prominent candidates, including former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who turned against his conservative allies after the end of his second term. Candidates from the Revolutionary Guards include General Mohsen Rezaee, the Secretary-General of the Expediency Council, one of the most prominent hardliners in the regime, General Saeed Mohammad, advisor to the commander of the Guard, and General Rustam Qasimi, deputy economic affairs for the commander of al-Quds Force.

The list also included the most prominent advisers of the Iranian spiritual leader, namely the former speaker of parliament, moderate Ali Larijani, and Governor Saeed Jalili, Khamenei’s representative in the Supreme National Security Council and a member of the Strategic Committee for Foreign Relations.

Thirteen current and former deputies submitted their candidacies, including Amir Hussein Qazi Zadeh Hashemi, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Chairman of the Energy Committee, Fereydoun Abbasi and Chair of the Production Support Committee, Shamsuddin Hosseini, Masoud Bazashkian, one of the most prominent reformist MPs, and Alireza Zakani, head of the Parliament Research Center.

It is expected that some candidates would withdraw in favor of others from the same camp, a few days before the polls, in line with what is known as the “shadow candidate”. The phenomenon sees several candidates from one camp pull out in favor of garnering more support to the main candidate.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Canada Reimposes Sanctions against 11 Iranian Companies

A Canadian flag flies next to the entry to the border crossing at Rainbow Bridge International on February 04, 2025 in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Getty Images via AFP)
A Canadian flag flies next to the entry to the border crossing at Rainbow Bridge International on February 04, 2025 in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Getty Images via AFP)
TT
TT

Canada Reimposes Sanctions against 11 Iranian Companies

A Canadian flag flies next to the entry to the border crossing at Rainbow Bridge International on February 04, 2025 in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Getty Images via AFP)
A Canadian flag flies next to the entry to the border crossing at Rainbow Bridge International on February 04, 2025 in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Getty Images via AFP)

Canada on Tuesday said it was reimposing sanctions against 11 Iranian companies in the energy and banking sectors for contributing to the Iranian republic's nuclear drive, ballistic missile program or the financing of "malign activities".

The companies, which include the National Iranian Oil Company and leading banks Mellat and Melli, were delisted from Canadian sanctions in 2016. But the measures have now been reimposed "to disrupt Iranian financial networks supporting its nuclear program", the Canadian foreign ministry said in a statement on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Paris.

World

Russia’s Lavrov Says US Diesel Deal Working, Prices Coming Down

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacts during an annual meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow, Russia, November 10, 2026. (Reuters)
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacts during an annual meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow, Russia, November 10, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Russia’s Lavrov Says US Diesel Deal Working, Prices Coming Down

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacts during an annual meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow, Russia, November 10, 2026. (Reuters)
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacts during an annual meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow, Russia, November 10, 2026. (Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ‌said the accord under which Russia is to supply diesel to the US and world markets is already working and lowering prices, writing in a piece published on Tuesday in Moscow daily Kommersant.

Lavrov said Russia was distinct from the West in not using its economy to score political points against countries seen as adversaries or competitors.

"Since 2022, we have supplied Europe with energy resources worth $320 billion," Lavrov wrote in Kommersant.

"An important contribution to ‌energy security was ‌the agreement between the Russian and ‌US ⁠leaders to suspend restrictions on ⁠the export of Russian diesel. We have already started implementing it, which immediately brought prices down."

US President Donald Trump announced on October 9 the surprise deal under which Russia agreed to immediately export 300,000 metric tons, or 2.25 million barrels, to the US and global ⁠markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November ‌and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter" ‌to help lower fuel prices ahead of the US midterm ‌elections.

His administration temporarily lifted US sanctions on Russian fuel ‌that were designed to deprive Moscow of revenue for its war on Ukraine.

Lavrov, in his comments to Kommersant, said Russia was working to stabilize world energy markets "ensuring global energy security, balanced ‌and sustainable development of countries and macro-regions".

He did not give any data on diesel ⁠prices. ⁠US futures prices have fallen about 11% since the deal was announced, but at the pump in the US, diesel prices were at a record high last week when Americans voted, according to price tracker GasBuddy.

Lavrov said Ukraine was ignoring Trump's calls to stop strikes on Russian energy targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week said Kyiv's forces were pursuing their strikes.

Russian media said fuel shortages had returned to at least half a dozen Russian regions after Ukrainian strikes on at least eight major oil refineries in the past two weeks.

World

Embattled Pentagon Chief to Hold Rare News Conference

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth waits to welcome Britain's Defense Secretary Wes Streeting to the Pentagon during an arrival ceremony, Thursday, Oct 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth waits to welcome Britain's Defense Secretary Wes Streeting to the Pentagon during an arrival ceremony, Thursday, Oct 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP)
TT
TT

Embattled Pentagon Chief to Hold Rare News Conference

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth waits to welcome Britain's Defense Secretary Wes Streeting to the Pentagon during an arrival ceremony, Thursday, Oct 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth waits to welcome Britain's Defense Secretary Wes Streeting to the Pentagon during an arrival ceremony, Thursday, Oct 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will hold a rare news conference on Tuesday as he pushes back against congressional efforts to remove him from office for alleged misconduct.

Under pressure after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for the Republican Party's sweeping losses in midterm elections, Hegseth now faces impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives.

"There's a lot of politically motivated people who...may have substantial policy disagreements, but their disagreements are with success," Hegseth told reporters on Monday when asked about efforts to remove him.

"I couldn't be more proud of what our president has done, the decisions that he's made, the courageous calls that he's made, the bold nature of our...military leadership, the skill and courage of the troops on the ground," he said.

The impeachment efforts are being spearheaded by Representative Thomas Massie, an anti-Trump Republican lawmaker who is leaving office after losing a primary contest to a candidate backed by the president.

Several of the articles of impeachment -- which Massie introduced on Monday -- relate to the Iran war, accusing Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution, which requires congressional consultation on and oversight of US military interventions.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Massie accused Hegseth of using "our troops to go seize oil for large corporations in America" and derided the Trump administration's refusal to acknowledge the bombing of a school in Iran.

"I mean, obviously we hit it, and you can determine what kind of missiles from the range and the kind of destruction there was. I don't think they're going to get out of that article of impeachment by saying, 'Oh, we don't know who bombed that school' -- although I think the president tried that for a day or two," Massie said.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks outside of the Capitol about articles of impeachment he introduced against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP)

- 'Sham' impeachment -

Hegseth is a staunch defender of the widely unpopular conflict in Iran, which he has described as a "courageous and historic effort."

He has previously dismissed Massie's "sham articles of impeachment" and equated the effort to remove him as Pentagon chief with past impeachments of Trump.

"It's all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me," Hegseth said in a video message last week.

Trump threw his support behind Hegseth on Monday, declaring he had done a "good job" and "won" wars in Venezuela and Iran -- referring to the lightning raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, and the unresolved eight-month conflict with Tehran.

Asked what would happen if Hegseth is impeached, Trump told reporters: "Yeah, I'll stand by him."

Massie also branded strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific as "extrajudicial killings" and said Hegseth "chilled independent legal review within the Department of Defense."

And he accused Hegseth of suppressing free speech by trying to punish Democratic Senator Mark Kelly over a video in which he and other lawmakers urged military and intelligence personnel to refuse illegal orders.

"Using the powers of his office, Secretary Hegseth retaliated against and sought to intimidate United States Senator Mark Kelly for his statement," one of the articles of impeachment said.