Khamenei Speaks for Reformist Bid

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday urged a hard-line watchdog council to reinstate two reformists barred from the June 17 presidential race after the largest pro-reform party said it would boycott the vote.

The surprise move by Khamenei, who has the last word in all state matters but rarely intervenes openly in political affairs, could offer reformists a lifeline to retain the presidency held by moderate Mohammad Khatami, a cleric, since 1997.

It may also damage the chances of front-runner Hashemi Rafsanjani, a moderate conservative whose message of detente with the West and economic liberalization appeals to supporters of reform.

In a letter to the Guardian Council -- which on Sunday said it had qualified just six candidates, nearly all conservatives, for the presidential race -- Khamenei said it would be “preferable for people from all political tendencies” to take part in the vote.

“Therefore, it seems the qualification of Mostafa Moin and Mohsen Mehralizadeh should be reviewed,” state television quoted the letter as saying.

Former Education Minister Moin is an outspoken reformist who has promised to tackle human rights abuses if elected. Mehralizadeh is vice president for sports and was not considered a serious contender.

Moin’s disqualification by the Guardian Council, a panel of 12 clerics and jurists with sweeping powers, drew angry reaction from Iran’s largest reformist party.