Topic: Mir Hossein Mousavi

The final list of candidates allowed to compete in the June 14 Iranian presidential elections is to be released Wednesday, an interior minister said.

There may be as many as 40 candidates on the ballot when Iranians vote June 14 to select their next president, a Guardian Council spokesman said.

Iranian presidential hopeful Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has a history of making "huge" political mistakes, a conservative rival candidate contends.

The political record of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani should be examined given his last-minute bid for president, his critics said.

The daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was released from prison after serving a six-month term, her lawyer said.

There's a "cynical attempt" by Tehran to silence domestic opponents of the Iranian government, British Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said.

Iranian authorities are called on by the United Nations to take measures that ensure the political system is open to all voices, a special envoy said.

Human Rights Watch said an "obsessive" campaign in Iran against journalists and rights lawyers suggest the country has no interest in a free political system.

The author says a Foreign Policy issue that looked at the Iranian nuclear controversy wasn't hard enough on Tehran and its plans.

Iranian leader Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said he wasn't considering a bid to run for the Iranian presidency in next year's election.