Iran News Round Up

• Marie Donovan discusses the implications of how Boeing’s latest deal with Aseman Airlines, which is led by former IRGC commander Hossein Alaei, could benefit the IRGC in “The IRGC could benefit from Boeing’s latest deal.”

Mayor of Mashhad Sowlat Mortazavi stated that Astan Quds Razavi Foundation Head and Assembly of Experts member Hojjat ol Eslam Ebrahim Raisi has announced his candidacy in the May elections. Mortazavi made the comments while representing Raisi at the April 6 meeting of the Popular Front of the Islamic Revolution Forces. Mortazavi stated that Raisi has resigned from his position on the Central Elections Monitoring Board. The board operates under the auspices of the Guardian Council and assists in monitoring the presidential elections. (Tasnim News Agency) (E) (BBC Persian)

• Parliamentarian Hossein Ali Deligani stated earlier this week that hardline senior cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mezbah Yazdi advised the Popular Front to back Raisi in the presidential elections. (Radio Farda)

Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated, “I have not and do not seek a nomination” in the May presidential elections. Ghalibaf stressed the importance of unifying around a single conservative candidate and stated that he “will do his very best to help” the most qualified candidate win. The Popular Front had previously listed Ghalibaf as one of its semifinalists. Ghalibaf made the comments on May 5, the day before the Popular Front held a vote to select five finalists in the race to select a single candidate for the presidential elections. Many interpret Ghalibaf’s statements to mean that he will not run in the presidential elections. The Popular Front’s spokeswoman, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, rejected this interpretation. She stated that Ghalibaf’s statement “is not a withdrawal, but an insistence that he would not nominate himself, which is true.” (Mehr News Agency)

The Popular Front for the Islamic Revolution Forces removed former senior nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili from its list of semifinalists for candidacy in the May elections. The Popular Front cited Jalili’s rejection of the Front’s mechanism by which it will select a single candidate as the reason for the removal. The Popular Front made the announcement on April 6, prior to the vote to select five finalists in the presidential elections. The mechanism requires those who are not selected to represent the Popular Front to support the final candidate. (ISNA)

Defense Minister IRGC Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan met with Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission to discuss the Defense Ministry’s involvement in Iranian industry. Dehghan stated that “the government and Parliament can eliminate many of the problems and obstacles in front of the armed forces.” (IRNA)

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi stated that Iran “strongly condemns any kind of usage of chemical weapons, regardless of the perpetrators and victims.” Ghassemi also stressed that Iran “declares its readiness to accept and treat the wounded.” (Fars News Agency)