Relatives of Ahmadinejad Protest News of His Disqualification from Presidential Candidacy

Two figures close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, have protested the statements of the Secretary General of the Islamic Engineers Society regarding Ayatollah Khamenei's opposition to his candidacy, stating that news related to the Supreme Leader should be released by his office. Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's media advisor, told ISNA news agency on Sunday, October 4, 'Is Mr. Bahonar responsible for publishing matters related to the Supreme Leader?' He added, 'We also have this question of how matters related to the Leader of the Revolution are published through other channels. If something is attributed to the Leader, his office will provide explanations if they deem it necessary.' Javanfekr confirmed Ahmadinejad's meeting with the Supreme Leader, stating that details of this meeting should be commented on by Ayatollah Khamenei's office. Abdul Reza Davari, another close associate of Ahmadinejad, described Bahonar's statements as a form of 'psychological operations' and asserted that news related to the Supreme Leader is only credible if announced by his office. Both figures did not deny the Supreme Leader's opposition to Ahmadinejad's candidacy. On Saturday, October 3, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, Secretary General of the conservative Islamic Engineers Society, told Young Journalists Club that it was not intended for the news of the Supreme Leader's opposition to Ahmadinejad's candidacy to be 'emphasized.' The Deputy Speaker of the 9th Parliament advised that 'neither Ahmadinejad's opponents should rejoice at his disqualification and celebrate, nor should his supporters fall into a state of coma.' Prior to Bahonar, some conservatives, including Mehdi Fazeli, former CEO of Fars News Agency, reported that the Supreme Leader had 'forbidden' Ahmadinejad from running in the upcoming presidential election. In this context, Ali Saidi, the Leader's representative in the Revolutionary Guards, described the 2017 presidential election as 'sensitive and complex,' citing attempts by some officials from Ahmadinejad's government to 'return to the past' as one of the reasons for the sensitivity of this election. He emphasized, 'This issue itself is significant: is it appropriate for a revolutionary and purposeful nation to turn back or not?' Meanwhile, Mohammad Reza Mir-Taj al-Dini, Ahmadinejad's parliamentary deputy at the time, stated on Sunday that Ahmadinejad's disqualification from candidacy 'benefited the conservative faction, as conservatives would never reach unity on his name.' He mentioned Ezzatollah Zarghami, former head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, as one of the 'serious and prominent figures in the conservative faction,' and noted that Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, is also waiting for a 'collective decision' from conservatives regarding candidacy. Some media outlets have mentioned Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, Ezzatollah Zarghami, and Ahmad Tavakoli as potential rivals to Rouhani in the 2017 presidential election. In this regard, Bahonar commented on the elections: 'Currently, the atmosphere is complicated, but we are trying to reach a consensus.'