Iran’s Guardian Council has prepared a list of seven candidates eligible to run in the June 18 presidential election.
The official list was released on Tuesday, hours after a leaked copy was obtained by Fars news. The list released by the Council included mostly hardline and conservative candidates and was notably missing Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri.
Another notable absentee was former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, although he wasn't expected to have made the list. Mr Ahmadinejad was also rejected by the council in Iran's last presidential election.
The surprising exclusion of Mr Larijani and Mr Jahangiri is a blow to the centrists and reformists. Mr Larijani was expected to be hardline candidate Ebrahim Raisi’s main challenger.
Mr Larijani, billed as moderate, was appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a special envoy for China and had vowed to continue current President Rouhani's westward facing policies.
Diplomats in Vienna are have been trying to negotiate a return of both Iran and the US to the nuclear agreement since April, a move Mr Larijani is thought to support.
Mr Jahangiri, running as a centrist and a moderate, was also disqualified.
Adnan Tabatabai, an analyst and Co-Founder and CEO of Bonn-baased research group Carpo said it is important to look at why establishment candidates like Mr Larijani and Mr Jahangiri were disqualified.
"We will have to wait and see what comes of this because at this point there is really only speculation. I do think there is a desire to shift the country's executive branch to the right and this desire has been more or less visible in this list of candidates."
But the Guardian Council's list can still be amended.
Ayatollah Khamenei can intervene and approve candidates himself as well. In the past, both with former President Khatami and President Rouhani, the Supreme Leader had intervened, ordering the Guardian Council to let them run.
Mr Tabatabai said he does see a possible intervention by Mr Khamenei to widen the scope of the political field although he said it is too early to tell who he would intervene for.
A number of Iranian news outlets have also speculated that Mr Khamenei will likely step in and approve Mr Larijani’s candidacy.
The disqualification of the moderate candidates is likely to affect the voter turnout, which is expected to be an all-time low. Mr Tabatabai said participation this round could be below 50 per cent, a sign of apathy towards the political process.
Iran's electorate, aside from suffering general political apathy, have long been skeptical of the election process, an issue that came to a head in 2009 following allegations of electoral fraud.
This year, if the Guardian Council's list holds without substantial changes it would likely "further delegitimise the system for many Iranians," said Sina Toossi, a senior research analyst at NIAC, the National Iranian American Council.
Voters and politicians alike have criticised the Guardian Council's narrow list. Mr Raisi himself has reportedly called on the council to expand the list of candidates.
Mr Raisi's reported criticism of the list highlights one of the issues he is now facing ahead of the election.
"While the Guardian Council’s action gives Raisi a relatively far easier path to victory, it also fundamentally stains any legitimacy his election would have. The Guardian Council has transparently made this election largely ceremonial. Many Iranians will believe this race was decided before it even started," says Mr Toossi.
The editor-in-chief of Tasnim News, a news agency linked to the IRGC also took to Twitter to say that the list of candidates should reflect different perspectives.
But the most surprising criticism of the list came from a member of the Guardian Council, brother of disqualified candidate Ali Larijani, Amoli Larijani.
Mr Larijani took to twitter writing, "I have defended the Guardian Council, even during my years in the judiciary. But I have never found the decisions of the council so indefensible." He went on to say Iran's security arm had interferred in the decision making.
Iranian elections, Mr Tabatabai said, are always surprising so how the next three weeks will play out is still unclear and a lot could change.
"I have to say there are still many questions. Even when the campaign starts there can still be reshuffling, we may see people approved by the supreme leaders intervention. It is all very open."
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
More coverage from the Future Forum
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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Sanchez's club career
2005-2006: Cobreloa
2006-2011 Udinese
2006-2007 Colo-Colo (on loan)
2007-2008 River Plate (on loan)
2011-2014 Barcelona
2014–Present Arsenal
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Levante v Real Mallorca (12am)
Leganes v Barcelona (4pm)
Real Betis v Valencia (7pm)
Granada v Atletico Madrid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (12am)
Espanyol v Getafe (3pm)
Osasuna v Athletic Bilbao (5pm)
Eibar v Alaves (7pm)
Villarreal v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Valladolid v Sevilla (12am)
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
EXPATS
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