Rouhani says hardliners to bring back sanctions if he loses

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

By Fatih Karimov – Trend:

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned that hardliners in the country will make the sanctions come back on Iran if his conservative rivals win the upcoming presidential election, which is scheduled for May 19.

Rouhani made the remarks, while addressing a gathering of his supporters in the northwestern city of Tabriz on May 15, only few days before the election, IRNA news agency reported.

Rouhani further said that he was not into slogans and did not curse the world, but increased Iran’s defense power and strategic weapons more than what was in the past ten years.

He also reacted to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statement about the shadow of war, saying “the leader said that the nation removed the shadow of war from Iran. He was right, but which administration realized this national demand?”

The presidential election in Iran is scheduled for May 19.

President Hassan Rouhani, Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, the custodian of Razavi holy shrine Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, former culture minister Seyed Mostafa Agha Mirsalim and reformist politician Mostafa Hashemi-Taba are the qualified ones in the presidential race.

The conservative wing in Iran supports Raeisi and Ghalibaf.