Iran news headlines on SaturdayincludeHashemi Rafsanjani & Rahim Mashaei announcementfor running in presidential election; IAEA chief support forexperts to check Irans Bushehr plant and 6.2 magnitude quake strike in Iran's Hormozgan.Irans former president Rafsanjani has registered candidacy for June presidential election
Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani threw himself into Irans election race on Saturday as a flurry of heavyweight candidates rushed to beat the registration deadline in the most unpredictable contest for decades.
Iranian media reported that Rafsanjani a relative moderate had registered for the June 14 presidential election with just minutes to spare. His candidacy radically alters what was previously seen as a contest between rival conservative groups.
Ahmadinejad ally Mashaie enters Iranian presidential race
An ally ofIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the centre of a split in Irans leadership registered on Saturday as a candidate in Irans June 14 presidential election, the Iranian Students News Agency reported.
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, Ahmadinejads former chief of staff, has been accused by conservative hardliners close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as leading a deviant current that seeks to erode Islamic clerical authority in favour of a more nationalistic doctrine.
IAEA chief backs sending experts to check Irans Bushehr plant
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it would be a good idea to send experts to check the safety ofIrans Bushehr nuclear reactor, a day after Iran said its facilities were safe following a nearby earthquake.
Iranian officials and theRussian company that built Bushehr, Irans onlynuclear powerreactor, said it was unscathed by last months earthquake.
Strong Iran quake causes damage, injuries
A strong earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hit southernIranearly on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, with local media reporting of damaged villages and several injuries.
The epicentre of the quake was measured at 85 kilometres (52 miles) southeast of the southern town of Minab at 0208 GMT , the USGS said in a statement. It was at a depth of 36.44 km (22.64).
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