Iran Live: Supreme Leader's Men Try to Regain Election Initiative

The Supreme Leader's "2+1 Committee": Ayatollah Khamenei's aide Ali Akbar Velayati, leading MP and Supreme Leader relative Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, and Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf

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1035 GMT: Foreign Affairs Watch (Egyptian Edition). Is this a sign of Tehran's disappointment that developments in Cairo have not gone quite as hoped since the fall of President Mubarak in February 2011?

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said today, “If we want the Iran-Egypt ties to officially reach a favorable level, which is expected by the people of both countries, we should have patience."

The spokesman continued, “It has been declared by Iran on numerous occasions that we have no restrictions on establishing ties with Egypt and that we are ready to resume the relations, but the internal situation in this country (Egypt) is not yet prepared."

Soon after Mubarak's downfall, the Supreme Leader declared that Egypt was at the centre of an "Islamic Awakening", following the model of the 1979 revolution in Iran, but political ties have not developed as quickly or as closely as Tehran hoped.

Even the limited step of encouraging tourism has run into trouble this month, with flights of Iranians into Egypt halted almost as soon as they began amid protests by Egyptians.

0845 GMT: Election Watch. Tabnak --- close to Presidential hopeful and former Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezaei -- offers a scathing criticism of Ahmadinejad's economic track-record.

Ahmadinejad had said that despite enemy plots, Iran had adequate water, food and sanitation, Tabnak said, adding that it was hardly an achievement to reach this stage over 30 years after the Islamic Revolution.

Tabnak also said Ahmadinejad had claimed to have new evidence showing that the "capitalist system" was working to create restrictions against Iran.

In contrast, Tabnak noted, Rezaei had talked about the need to create revolutionary movements in the economic and cultural spheres, in order to create a modern and society that espoused "Tawhid" (the Islamic concept of monotheism). Rezaei's election campaigning -- just as in the previous presidential election -- centers on the economy.

0650 GMT: Election Watch. It looks like Fars, close to the Revolutionary Guards, has decided that it is time to give full backing to the Supreme Leader's 2+1 Committee to find a "unity" candidate, seeking success after months of effort and only three weeks before hopefuls must register.

Fars English's top story is the declaration of one member of the committee, leading MP Gholam Ali Haddadl Adel, and its third story is a magazine interview with another member, the Supreme Leader's senior aide Ali Akbar Velayati.

On the surface, the Fars English article promotes Velayati's views on foreign policy and the nuclear talks with the 5+1 Powers. It emphasises the former Foreign Minister's declaration "that Iran would continue defending its rights and resisting against the expansionist policies of the western states".

The real significance, however, is the article's promotion of the Supreme Leader's advisor: "It is widely believed that the [2+1 Committee] would introduce only one single candidate in the election and Velayati is said to have a high chance."

0620 GMT: Election Watch. We begin with the latest efforts of the Supreme Leader's "2+1 Committee" --- unable to establish a "unity" candidate for June's Presidential election, after months of effort --- to regain the initiative.

Fars News English highlights the declaration of Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, a member of the committee, that the economy and foreign policy would top his agenda if he was the next President.

Beyond that statement, Haddad Adel gave clues to the next steps of the Committee, trying to get the "unity" candidate in place before hopefuls have to register from 7-11 May. He said that he and the other two coalition members --- the Supreme Leader's senior advisor Ali Akbar Velayati and Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf --- have not yet made their decision.

Haddad Adel then pointed, perhaps unwittingly, to the committee's continued inability to reach a verdict, "Instead of choosing one for nomination, all of us might register as candidates and then withdraw in favor of one of us."

The MP, who is related by marriage to the Supreme Leader, also indirectly responded to last week's announcement of a coalition --- including four prospective candidates --- which could rival the 2+1 Committee's efforts: "The coalition is still open to anyone from the Principlist camp who is willing to join us."