As the Presidential election looms closer, signs are that the 2+1 Coalition --- established in December to choose a "consensus" candidate behind whom Principlists and conservatives could rally --- is effectively finished. None of the three members of the coalition --- senior aide to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati, Tehran mayor Mohammad-Baqer ...

Principlist candidate Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel says he sees no reason to step aside in favor of other candidates ahead of the June 14 vote. He told a press conference on Sunday that the principlist Coalition of Three, to which Haddad-Adel is a member, can win the presidential race despite differences. Haddad-Adel, a former Majlis speaker, noted that ...

Iran presidential candidate, Ali Akbar Velayati, says members of the principlist Coalition of Three have reached an agreement to remain in the race for the June 14 election until the end. Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, the former foreign minister said he, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and lawmaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel ...

Iranian presidential hopeful Ali Akbar Velayati says the Principalists will ultimately choose one candidate to run in the upcoming election. Velayati made the remarks in answer to a question about whether presidential hopeful Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf would drop his bid for presidency in favor of Saeed Jalili, who is the secretary of Irans Supreme National ...

Irans principlist presidential hopeful Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel says the Coalition of Three does not endorse the political views of rival Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, currently the chairman of the Expediency Council. Haddad-Adel, an Iranian lawmaker, is a member of the Coalition of Three, which also includes Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Tehran mayor, and ...

With less than three days to go before the Guardian Council declares its final list of candidates, the principlist 2+1 coalition --- established in December with the aim of finding a single candidate behind whom conservatives could rally --- has yet to announce that candidate. Instead, each member of the 2+1 Coalition continues pre-campaigning with ...

Joanna Paraszczuk and Scott Lucas write:In the week since registration for Presidential candidates closed and the Guardian Council began vetting the almost 700 Iranians who submitted their names, Iran's media has been dominated by two contenders: former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. However, with the Supreme ...

Iran stands on the eve of aheated presidential electionslated for June 14. It is the 11th presidential election in Irans history. The candidates are a diverse group, all of whom have in one way or another contributed to Irans political life since the 1979 revolution. The five-day period to file for candidacy ended Saturday [May 11]. Irans Guardian ...

Writing on LobeLog, analyst Farideh Farhi proclaims, "Iran Surprises Again!": Okay, it is time to admit that the only thing predictable about Iranian politics these days is its unpredictability! Well, not really. Not only Farhi but most of the mainstream media were caught out by the drama of this weekend's developments --- President Ahmadinejad ...

A member of the Coalition of Three has suggested that the group may support Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili for the June vote. Principlist presidential hopeful Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said on Sunday that the group is open to new figures. We said from the very beginning that the coalitions door is closed to no one. Referring ...

The registration of a number of political heavyweights for presidency has prompted the principlist camp to reconsider its approach to the upcoming election. Former foreign minister, Ali Akbar Velayati, said the Coalition of Three will endorsechief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, provided that top clerics throw their weight behind him. The Coalition ...

TEHRAN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's presidential candidate Ali- Akbar Velayati said the principlist candidates for the upcoming presidential election will soon show more convergence to boost their chance of winning the race, Fars news agency reported on Sunday. Velayati, a member of the Principlist Coalition of 2+1 and senior advisor to Supreme Leader ...

Irans presidential hopeful Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel says the Coalition of Three will not nominate its candidate until the Guardian Council announces the results of the vetting process for the presidential hopefuls,Press TVreports. The three of us will register. But it is yet not clear when exactly we will announce the result [on the designated nominee]....

[caption id="attachment_26327" align="alignright" width="300"] An Image showing people casting their votes during Irans 10th presidential election, June 2009[/caption] Presidential hopefuls talk coalition politics in Iran. With just a few days before registration on May the 7th, potential candidates get a taste of coalition politics in the run-up ...

Presidential hopeful Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf is highly critical of Irans current economic situation, saying problems are affecting both the wealthy and the poor. The Tehran Mayor on Saturday criticized the needless politicizing of Irans economy, saying it is in a state of uncertainty and in need of reform. He further pledged to restore economic ...

Iran principlist camp, which has formed several coalitions ahead of the upcoming presidential election, is still discussing who its final candidate will be for the crucial election in June. Presidential hopeful Ali Akbar Velayati, who has formed a coalition with key principlist figures, Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel and Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, has said that ...

Iranian presidential hopeful Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel has dismissed remarks about the Coalition of Threes defeat in the upcoming election. Haddad-Adel, who is a former Majlis Speaker, a current lawmaker, and a member of the Coalition of Three, said Wednesday that such baseless rumors are spread by those who feel endangered by this coalition. He added ...

Different hopefuls aspiring to win Irans upcoming presidential polls, scheduled for June 14, have offered their views concerning various issues. Presidential hopeful Ali Akbar Velayati said on Wednesday that the Principlist group, known as the Coalition of Three, has a new type of campaigning on the agenda, Mehr News Agency reported. All the coalitions ...

[caption id="attachment_24985" align="alignright" width="300"] File photo shows Iranians preparing to cast their ballots in a presidential election.[/caption] Iran is less than two months away from its next presidential election on June 14, 2013. As President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing to bow out, Iranians and international observers are interested ...

[caption id="attachment_24576" align="alignright" width="300"] A single-stage solid-propellant, surface-to-surface Fateh (Victor) missile is launched during the Great Prophet 7 missile drill in Semnan, central Iran, July 3, 2012.[/caption] Todays top stories in Iran include country's plan of revealing new naval cruise missile in near future; letter ...