TEHRAN — Former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami declared Sunday that he would run again for president, setting the stage for a major political showdown in coming months between the popular reformist leader — who made dialogue with the West a centerpiece of his eight years in office — and the country’s ruling hard-liners.
Khatami’s candidacy poses a serious challenge to President Mahmoud Ahma dinejad, whose mixture of anti-Western rhetoric and fiery nationalism sharply contrasts with Khatami’s tempered tones and appeals for global dialogue.
“I seriously announce my candidacy in the next (presidential) election,” Khatami announced Sunday after a meeting with his supporters.
He said he decided to seek the presidency in the June 12 vote because it was impossible for someone like himself who was interested in the fate of Iran to remain silent. The 65-year-old liberal cleric said he is “attached to the country’s greatness and the people’s right to have control over their own fate.”
Khatami’s decision to run against Ahma dinejad could significantly shake up Iran’s politics, appealing to citizens disillusioned by the country’s failing economy and Ahmadinejad’s staunch anti-U.S. foreign policy.
Relations between the United States and Iran improved marginally during Khatami’s eight years in office, and he encouraged athletic and cultural exchanges. But it deteriorated after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when former President George W. Bush declared Iran belonged to an “axis of evil.” Ahmadinejad widened that gap after he was elected in 2005.
But Khatami’s decision to run comes as President Barack Obama has signaled a willingness for a dialogue with Iran, particularly over the Islamic Republic’s controversial nuclear program.
