Hard-Liners Endorse Advisor for Presidency

A security advisor to Iran’s supreme leader said he had won the backing of hard-line parties for his bid for the presidency, the official IRNA news agency said.

Ali Larijani, who has spoken out against Tehran’s efforts to defuse international concern about its nuclear program through diplomacy, won the support of the Coordination Council of the Islamic Revolutionary Forces, making him a leading contender in the June 17 vote.

Moderate conservative Hashemi Rafsanjani has hinted he may make a comeback bid for the job he held from 1989 to 1997. Incumbent Mohammad Khatami is ineligible for a third term.