Iranian politician slams veto on reformist candidates

By Muhammet Kursun

TEHRAN (AA) - An Iranian reformist politician on Friday criticized Iran's Guardian Council for disqualifying many reformists from the ranks of would-be candidates for the country’s general elections slated for late February.

"The council rejects all its opponents like a political party,” Mostafa Tajzadeh, who has served as the deputy interior minister in the government of former President Mohammad Khatami, told Anadolu Agency.

Underlining that the parliament had turned into an institution at the disposal of the regime, he added: “They prevented a 'free election' and took away the Iranian people’s right to choose."

Iranian elections, he said, had become a mere "formality," which had already been tilted in favor of the hardliners.

Highlighting that many conservative parliamentarians desired the production of nuclear weapons, Tajzadeh said the current assembly supports peace and the nuclear deal but the new lawmakers will most likely adopt pro-war policies. “It will mostly be in the hands of those who support militarist parties,” he said.

Iran holds parliamentary polls every four years, and the 11th legislative elections will be held on Feb. 21. The candidates will contest for 290 seats in the unicameral body.

He said that the rising tensions with the U.S, which has imposed devastating sanctions on Tehran, could lead to war if there was a complete end to the country's oil exports. “The conditions are very fragile,” he said.

China and Russia, the reformist politician added, were taking advantage of the evolving situation.

Tensions have risen between the U.S. and Iran since May 2018 when Washington unilaterally withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal. It has since embarked on a diplomatic and economic campaign to put pressure on Tehran in order to renegotiate the 2015 agreement. As part of the campaign, it reimposed sanctions on exports of Iranian crude oil, severely affecting the Persian country's economy.

The situation further escalated when the U.S. killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Iraq’s capital on Jan. 3. In retaliation, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles targeting U.S. troops in Baghdad on Jan. 8.

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz