Iranian hard-liner Ahmadinejad seeks presidency

June 2 (UPI) -- Iran's hard-line conservative ex-president has said he will run in the next presidential election, according to Iranian state media.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's hardline former President has registered to compete in the nation's elections scheduled for June 28th on the heels of the death of the former president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month.

Ahmadinejad along with dozens of other candidates registered Sunday, the last day to enter the election, according to Al Jazeera. Other high-profile and contentious candidates, including moderate Ali Larijani and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, have also entered the contest on the final day.

Ahmadinejad was first elected Iran's president in 2005 and stayed in office until 2013 when he was forced to step down by term limits. He is a former member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

His candidacy, however, is not a sure thing. Ahmadinejad tried to run in 2017 but was barred from doing so by the Guardian Council a year after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said entering the race was "not in his interest and that of the country."

That prompted Ahmadinejad to question Khamenei's ultimate authority and ask for checks on his power, which caused a rift between the two.

Ahmadinejad wrote to Khamenei in 2018, calling for "free" elections. It was a rare criticism of the Supreme Leader's authority.

The relationship between the two has not always been divisive. Khamenei backed Ahmadinejad in 2009 after his re-election triggered protests in which dozens of people were killed and hundreds arrested.

That incident shook the structure of the ruling theocracy at the time and security forces led by the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps stepped in to quell the unrest.

Ahmadinejad has been mostly dormant since the end of this last term and said he is only seeking office this time because he is responding to "a call from people from across the country" to run again.

He said he's confident he can resolve Iran's domestic and international issues, Al Jazeera reported.

A reporter on Sunday asked Ahmadinejad about his reaction if the Guardian Council disallows his candidacy. "Don't ask political questions," he said.

The Guardian Council will vet the presidential candidates for this month's presidential election and release a list of those who are qualified on June 11.