Tasnim– Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran’s Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati said he has no plans to run for president in the upcoming election due to be held in May 2017.





Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency on Saturday, Velayati said he has no intention to stand as a candidate for the next presidential election.

He further expressed the hope that the country’s forces who follow the path of the Islamic Revolution would unite and vote for a candidate who would lead the country in line with the Islamic Republic’s objectives and the aspirations of the late Imam Khomeini (RA).

Velayati, who is a former foreign minister, ran for president as a principlist candidate in the previous presidential election back in 2013.

Every four years, people in Iran vote for who they want to be their president.

According to the Guardian Council, the country’s 12th presidential election will be held on May 19, 2017.

Hassan Rouhani won Iran's presidential election in 2013, securing just over 50% of the vote and so avoiding the need for a run-off.