Iran Presidential Candidate: Ahmadinejad Antagonizing West

  28 April 2009

A reformist candidate in Iran's upcoming presidential race is vowing to reverse current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies if elected.

Moderate cleric Mahdi Karroubi said Tuesday that Mr. Ahmadinejad has pushed Iran into international isolation.  He said he would favor more diplomatic policies that would engage with world powers.

The former parliament speaker said Mr. Ahmadinejad needlessly antagonizes the West by claiming the Holocaust is a myth, calling the president's comments "uncalculated" and "harmful" to Iran's interests.

Karroubi is one of four candidates running in Iran's presidential elections on June 12.  Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi is considered to be the leading challenger to Mr. Ahmadinejad.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. 

• Email 
• Print 
• Comments