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Rouhani, Larijani Await 'Positive Signs' to Enter Election Race

Former President Hassan Rouhani and his ally, former Speaker Ali Larijani, during an event in Tehran (Jamaran)
Former President Hassan Rouhani and his ally, former Speaker Ali Larijani, during an event in Tehran (Jamaran)
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Rouhani, Larijani Await 'Positive Signs' to Enter Election Race

Former President Hassan Rouhani and his ally, former Speaker Ali Larijani, during an event in Tehran (Jamaran)
Former President Hassan Rouhani and his ally, former Speaker Ali Larijani, during an event in Tehran (Jamaran)

Reformist sources have revealed that former President Hassan Rouhani and his ally, former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, are eagerly awaiting "positive indications" from the authorities to actively participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for February.

Larijani and Rouhani, both affiliated with the moderate conservative movement, are looking to reestablish their alliance with the "reformist movement" to return to the forefront of the political scene.

The reformist news website "Insaaf News" reported that prominent figures within the moderate faction will kick off election activities if they perceive positive signs from the authorities.

According to the sources, Rouhani and Larijani are expected to take on prominent roles in the upcoming parliamentary elections. They plan to present a joint electoral list, contingent upon the fulfillment of "honorable and legal" participation conditions.

The sources said the list will be supported by former reformist President Mohammed Khatami, his ally Hasan Khomeini, the grandson of the late Supreme Leader Khomeini, and Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

They believe that Khatami and Nategh-Nouri can help the two currents and encourage their supporters to participate in the elections "if the right conditions are met."

Ensaf News reported that Hasan Khomeini is "a central figure among the moderates" and can influence political and social events in the country.

However, a close source said that the issues raised about the electoral activities of Rouhani and Larijani are more like "speculations and analysis."

The website indicated that some members of the five figures' teams are skeptical about the recent developments, fearing they would engage in electoral activities without providing the requirements for participation.

However, the Ensaf website expected a "moderate electoral coalition" would be welcomed by the "conservative coalition" that controls the government and most parliamentary seats because their political activities will not stand out without rivals.

Rouhani lived semi-isolation after his presidential term ended, especially since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei did not appoint him to the Expediency Discernment Council, as he did with former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

- Elections

Last April, Rouhani called for holding free elections and a referendum on foreign and domestic policy and economic management.

Larijani's role in the Iranian political arena has been restricted after he was removed from the presidential elections following a decision of the Guardian Council.

Aside from the parliamentary elections, Iran will witness the polls for the Assembly of Experts for Leadership, which includes 88 influential clerics who name the successor to the current Supreme Leader if he cannot carry out his duties.

The Assembly of Experts elections are also important and sensitive. The past elections sparked controversy after Hassan Khomeini was removed from the list of candidates for not meeting the conditions.

Rouhani, Hassan Khomeini, and Nategh-Nouri could be on the list of candidates, knowing that Khomeini's grandson is one of the primary candidates to succeed Khamenei.

The upcoming legislative elections come after the widespread popular protests that the authorities accused the Western powers of "supporting" in the wake of the death of the young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, last September.

- Confirmation of participation

Khamenei rejected requests for a referendum on the fate of the origin of the ruling establishment to overcome the current structure and establish a secular system of elections, and decide on the eligibility of candidates.

In one of his speeches last April, the Supreme Leader urged senior officials to define strategies for participation, competition, security, and integrity in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The Guardian Council then announced that it had started setting up procedures for the upcoming February elections.

Recently, the Minister of the Interior, Ahmed Vahidi, issued instructions to the governors of the provinces to reduce communication and cooperation with lawmakers.

Vahidi's decision sparked controversy, and more than 200 lawmakers tabled a motion to impeach him. But Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that the Minister requested a two-week postponement.

President Ebrahim Raisi said that the government, as the executive of the elections, will not interfere in the affairs of the candidates and in supporting or creating restrictions for them.

The Iranian presidency website quoted Raisi saying at the Sunday cabinet meeting that holding healthy, competitive, and high-participation elections promotes national security and public trust.

- Reform movement

The reformist parties affiliated with the "Reform Front" nominated the activist Azar Mansouri as its head, according to the Etemad Online website.

Mansouri, 59, who has close ties to former President Mohammad Khatami, will succeed the reform activist Behzad Nabavi, who held the post for two years.

Mansouri was among the reformist activists arrested after the Green Movement protests that hit the country after the reformists questioned the 2009 presidential elections after Ahmadinejad won a second term.

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World

2 Planes Collide on the Ground in Miami, Only Minor Injuries Reported

FILE - Vehicles drive past the entrance to Miami International Airport in Miami May 12, 2020, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
FILE - Vehicles drive past the entrance to Miami International Airport in Miami May 12, 2020, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
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2 Planes Collide on the Ground in Miami, Only Minor Injuries Reported

FILE - Vehicles drive past the entrance to Miami International Airport in Miami May 12, 2020, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
FILE - Vehicles drive past the entrance to Miami International Airport in Miami May 12, 2020, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

Federal aviation safety officials on Sunday were investigating a minor collision between two planes at a taxiway intersection at Miami International Airport, where one aircraft's wingtip struck the nose of another, authorities said. Two people reported minor injuries.

The accident happened at about 9 p.m. Saturday and involved a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 passenger aircraft with 172 people aboard and a UPS Boeing 767 cargo plane, according to the National Transportation Safety Board and Copa Airlines. The wing of the Copa flight and the nose of the UPS plane collided, the NTSB said.

Photos taken at the scene show the UPS plane nose with a horizontal gash on one side and a larger hole in the middle, The Associated Press reported.

On audio recorded by ATC.com, a pilot on the UPS plane told air traffic control that he went too far at the intersection and his plane was clipped by the Copa flight. Air traffic control told the UPS pilot that he was supposed to yield to the Copa aircraft.

The NTSB said it was gathering information and may provide an update on Sunday.

The Copa plane had just arrived from Panama City and the UPS plane was headed to Bogota, Colombia, officials said.

In a statement on social media, Copa called the collision minor and said two of its passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

UPS said it was working with authorities to determine what happened.

“We cannot speculate on the details of the incident,” UPS said in a statement.

“The National Transportation Safety Board is responsible for investigating incidents like this and will control the flow of information.”

The mishap came two months after an Amazon cargo plane careened off a runway at Miami International and smashed into a van carrying workers for a company that cleans airplanes, killing five people.

World

Nearly 1,500 Migrants Arrive in Canary Islands in One Day

Rescued migrants disembark from a Spanish Maritime Rescue Service vessel with assistance from emergency workers and Civil Guard officers at the port of La Restinga in El Pinar on the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain, 14 November 2026. EPA/GELMERT FINOL
Rescued migrants disembark from a Spanish Maritime Rescue Service vessel with assistance from emergency workers and Civil Guard officers at the port of La Restinga in El Pinar on the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain, 14 November 2026. EPA/GELMERT FINOL
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Nearly 1,500 Migrants Arrive in Canary Islands in One Day

Rescued migrants disembark from a Spanish Maritime Rescue Service vessel with assistance from emergency workers and Civil Guard officers at the port of La Restinga in El Pinar on the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain, 14 November 2026. EPA/GELMERT FINOL
Rescued migrants disembark from a Spanish Maritime Rescue Service vessel with assistance from emergency workers and Civil Guard officers at the port of La Restinga in El Pinar on the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain, 14 November 2026. EPA/GELMERT FINOL

Almost 1,500 migrants arrived in Spain's Canary Islands on Saturday, the highest number in a single day since 2020, the EFE news agency reported on Sunday, citing the maritime rescue service.

A total of 1,488 people in 14 boats were rescued by the Spanish coastguard, EFE reported, continuing a surge of arrivals from West African countries to the Spanish archipelago since October.

The previous one-day record was the 1,461 people rescued in waters off the Canary Islands on November 7, 2020, maritime rescue services said ⁠on Sunday, according to Reuters.

While migrant ⁠arrivals have declined so far this year compared with the same period last year, the sharp increase last month placed additional pressure on reception and emergency services on some of the Canary Islands, particularly the smaller and less densely populated ones.

One boat on ⁠Saturday was carrying 240 people, including 12 women and 36 children, authorities said. The rescued migrants were taken to El Hierro, one of the smallest Canary Islands. Most of the people were from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea Conakry.

Twelve boats arrived in El Hierro, plus one in Gran Canaria and another in Tenerife.

Spain's Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres will visit El Hierro on Sunday to discuss the surge in migrant arrivals.

The Atlantic ⁠route ⁠from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration crossings. Thousands of migrants attempt the journey each year in overcrowded boats, seeking to reach Spanish territory despite rough seas, strong currents and long distances.

Arrivals tend to pick up in the autumn months, when sea conditions along the route are generally calmer and more favorable for crossings.

Migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands between January and October 31 were down 5.5% from the same period last year, government data show.

World

Iranian Lawmaker: A Nuclear Bomb is a ‘Public Demand’

Satellite imagery from Jun 9th, 2025 via Airbus/Bulletin, shows a truck at Iran’s Isfahan underground complex carrying 18 sealed containers (AP)
Satellite imagery from Jun 9th, 2025 via Airbus/Bulletin, shows a truck at Iran’s Isfahan underground complex carrying 18 sealed containers (AP)
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Iranian Lawmaker: A Nuclear Bomb is a ‘Public Demand’

Satellite imagery from Jun 9th, 2025 via Airbus/Bulletin, shows a truck at Iran’s Isfahan underground complex carrying 18 sealed containers (AP)
Satellite imagery from Jun 9th, 2025 via Airbus/Bulletin, shows a truck at Iran’s Isfahan underground complex carrying 18 sealed containers (AP)

Iranian lawmaker Hosseinali Haji Deligani said on Saturday that building a nuclear bomb has become a public demand, just days before a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors to discuss Iran.

“Today, one of the people's demands is that Iran, in addition to its faith and missiles, must build and possess a nuclear bomb,” said Haji Deligani, the deputy head of the Article 90 Commission in the Iranian Parliament, according to Fars news agency.

He argued that Tehran should possess nuclear weapons regardless of whether it intends to use them.

“We must have this capability. Whether it is used or not is a separate matter,” the lawmaker noted.

He said, “based on current assessments, the enemy would not launch a nuclear attack on Iran because of the country’s vast size and the significant repercussions of such an attack.”

The Article 90 Commission of Iran's parliament is mandated to receive, investigate, and respond to written complaints regarding the performance of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Iran has made no official decision to change its nuclear doctrine despite growing calls from lawmakers and members of the public to reconsider its position if war resumes.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran had not suspended its obligations under its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Speaking to reporters, Baghaei said Iran remained a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and continued to uphold both the treaty and its safeguards agreement. He said the country had demonstrated its adherence to those commitments.

Grossi’s Report

Haji Deligani’s statements came one day after the UN’s nuclear watchdog said it cannot confirm that Tehran hasn’t diverted nuclear material away from peaceful purposes.

In a confidential report on Iran seen by media outlets on Friday, the UN’s nuclear watchdog said because of a lack of cooperation from Iran, it “is not able to conclude that there has been no diversion of declared nuclear material from peaceful nuclear activities in Iran.”

IAEA said it is “increasingly concerned” about a uranium-enrichment plant at Isfahan that Iran declared to it last year but has still not let the watchdog inspect.”

“It is more than a year since the Agency lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the previously declared inventories of LEU (low-enriched uranium) and HEU (highly enriched ⁠uranium) enriched up to 60% U-235 at the declared nuclear facilities affected by the attacks of June 2025,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi wrote in his last report on Iran.

He added that Iran needs to allow inspectors back in “with the utmost urgency.”

Inspectors have yet to return to nuclear sites the United States and Israel bombed in June 2025.

Until those attacks, the IAEA estimates Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from the roughly 90% of weapons-grade uranium. That is enough material, if enriched further, for 10 nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick, and Iran also had material enriched to lower levels.

“The director general encourages Iran to consider technical and gradual measures by which conditions are achieved that allow for the return of agency inspectors to Iran,” the report said.

But Iran told the IAEA that discussions on restarting inspections in the country cannot resume amid “a series of persistent, explicit, and public threats by the President of the United States of America.”

Criticizing legal and technical basis of IAEA’s reports, Iran Mission to UN Office in Vienna said normal execution of safeguards cannot resume under the abnormal condition created by attacks on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear sites.

In a message posted on its X account on Saturday, the Iranian mission also criticized Grossi’s reporting, arguing that the Board’s decisions have been adopted through an abuse of process and that the US-Israeli attacks on Iran have disrupted inspections and forced the withdrawal of the IAEA’s inspectors.

“The United States removed aggression from bias resolutions, but its consequences cannot be erased from reality,” the statement added.

An Unavoidable Necessity

Last Thursday, Iran’s Assembly of Experts called for considering the country’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), alongside a review of Iran’s defense doctrine and the establishment of what it described as necessary deterrence.

In a statement carried by Iranian media, the Assembly said that reviewing withdrawal from the NPT, revising the country’s defense doctrine and establishing the necessary deterrence had become an “unavoidable necessity” and a “public and national demand.”

Two weeks ago, Mohsen Araki, a member of the Assembly of Experts and the Expediency Discernment Council, said Iran should reconsider its membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He also noted that the country had suffered setbacks without gaining comparable benefits.

“The Islamic Republic has suffered considerable harm and setbacks over the years because of its membership in and continued adherence to this treaty, while gaining no commensurate benefit from that membership,” said Araki.