7 Candidates Approved to Run for President in Iran

Seven candidates were approved by Iran’s Guardian Council to run for president in its upcoming elections. Their names were announced Tuesday by the semi-official Fars News Agency. The current president, Hassan Rouhani, cannot run again due to term limits. The election is scheduled for June 18.

Some 590 people had registered requests with the council to vie to replace Rouhani, The Associated Press reported.

Among the high-profile politicians whose requests were denied are former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri.

The presidential race reportedly has not garnered much attention in Iran, whose population is struggling under the burden of heavy economic sanctions and the devastating effects of the coronavirus.