Could fraud allegations shatter Iranian parliament speaker's dream for presidency? - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

A correspondent in Tehran

A correspondent in Tehran

Jul 31, 2020

Former Iranian Culture Minister Mostafa Mir-Salim (L) is seen on April 11, 2017, while Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shows his ink-stained finger after registering his candidacy for the May 2017 presidential election at the Interior Ministry on April 14, 2017. Ghalibaf later dropped out as a presidential candidate and Mir-Salim finished a very distant third to incumbent President Hassan Rouhani. Ghalibaf, who was then mayor of Tehran, now is the speaker of parliament, and has come under fire from Mir-Salim over corruption allegations. — ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

This handout picture provided by the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA) on January 7, 2020 shows Iranian lawmakers raising their hands to vote during a parliamentary session in Tehran. - Iran's parliament passed a bill designating all US forces "terrorists" over the killing of a top Iranian military commander in a US strike last week. Under the newly adopted bill, all US forces and employees of the Pentagon and affiliated organisations, agents and commanders and those who ordered the "martyrd

Iran’s hard-liners in tug of war over parliament speakership

Sarbas Nazari

A general view of the Iranian parliament, during the opening ceremony of Iran's 11th parliament, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Tehran, Iran, May 27, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2XWG9R3UB3

Parliament speaker opens new conservative era in Iranian politics

Shervin Ghaffari

Shervin Ghaffari

Supporters of Iranian presidential candidate Tehran's mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf hold a banner depicting him, in Shahr-e-Rey, south of Tehran, on June 7, 2013. Candidates vying for Iran's presidency clashed on June 7 in a heated televised exchange over nuclear talks with world powers, with pointed criticism aimed at top nuclear negotiator and hardline candidate Saeed Jalili. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Did Rouhani just nip Tehran mayor’s presidential challenge in the bud?

Rohollah Faghihi

Rohollah Faghihi

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi (R-2) holds hands with former presidential candidate and mayor of Tehran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (L), as he greets his supporters during a campaign rally at Imam Khomeini Mosque in the capital Tehran on May 16, 2017.
Iran's presidential election on May 19 is effectively a choice between moderate incumbent Hassan Rouhani and hardline jurist Raisi, with major implications for everything from civil rights to relations with Washington. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE

Iran's fractious hard-liners hold edge as parliamentary election approaches

Rohollah Faghihi

Rohollah Faghihi