Iran validates presidential candidacies of military staff

Tehran, March 14 Iran's Constitutional Council has validated the registration of military staff as candidates for the country's presidency.

"It happened before. Military personnel applied for candidacy in previous terms and there is no legal ban," the spokesman for the council Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei said in a press conference here on Saturdday.

He clarified that in Iran, military staff are banned to "interfere" in elections or voice support for candidates other than themselves, reports Xinhua news agency.

The next Iranian presidential election is scheduled for June 18, and the Constitutional Council is in charge of vetting candidacies.

Hossein Dehghan and Saeed Mohammad, members of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, have declared their intention to run for presidency.

( With inputs from IANS )