Azerbaijan, Baku, May.18/ Trend R.Zamanov
Presidential candidate Kamran Baqeri Lankarani said that he has no intention of stepping aside in favor of any candidate for the June 14 vote.
The principlist candidate has said that the central council of the Perseverance Front has picked him as the frontrunner in the upcoming election, the IRIB News Agency reported.
He dismissed claims that he has stepped aside in favor of another member of the group Saeed Jalili, who is the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
Lankarani also criticized some presidential candidates for raising the possibility of holding direct talks with the United States.
He said any compromise with Washington regarding Iran's nuclear energy program will only bring shame and humiliation to the nation.
Iran's presidential election will be held on June 14. The voters will select the successor of the current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is not able to participate in the elections for the third term according to the country's constitutional laws.
The Guardian Council has extended the deadline for announcing final candidates for Iran's presidential race.
According to Guardian Council Spokesman Abbas Ali Kad-Khodaei, the body will have until the 21st of May to announce the names of the approved candidates.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election and the Guardian Council vets the candidates for qualifications.