Iran officials may drop resignation threat

Iranian government officials are likely to drop their threats to resign after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei moved to defuse a row ov...

Iranian government officials are likely to drop their threats to resign after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei moved to defuse a row over parliamentary elections, a senior government source said on Thursday.

‘‘To avoid tension in the country, those who have threatened to quit will drop their resignation threats,’’ said the official, who was one of at least 16 members of President Mohammad Khatami’s Cabinet who had said this week they would step down.

The resignation threats, also made by 27 state governors, were in response to the hardline Guardian Council’s decision to disqualify almost half of the 8,200 candidates hoping to run in parliamentary elections on February 20. Most of those disqualified were reformist allies of Khatami, including more than 80 members of the 290-seat Parliament.

Story continues below this ad

In a further sign that tension was easing, protesting reformists cancelled a large rally scheduled for Thursday afternoon, and dozens of MPs who have been holding a sit-in at Parliament welcomed Khamenei’s intervention as a ‘‘positive sign’’. ‘‘It is time for the Guardian Council to revise the qualification assessments and accepts those against whom there is no legal proof,’’ they said in a statement. ‘‘The hardliners don’t really need to compromise, but this will be their tactic,’’ said analyst Saeed Leylaz. ‘‘Reformists will have to give in because they don’t have public support.’’

The MPs vowed to continue the sit-in, but struck a more optimistic tone than in recent days. ‘‘With the presence of all candidates from different slants, we will hopefully witness elections worthy of the country’s democratic system,’’ they said. Analysts said the hardliners could now try to split the reformist camp, which has joined forces against the vetoes. —(Reuters)