MILITARISED? As registrations come to a close for candidates in Iran’s June 18 presidential elections, an alarming development has come to light: Too many potential candidates have a military background. Among Iranians and others in the region and beyond, this has raised concerns over a further militarisation of Iran’s foreign policy, which is already hard-line. There is nothing new about candidates with a military background. What is different this time is that most of these are serving members. And many are from the most hard-line section of the Iranian establishment: the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which analysts already see as a state within a state. Despite the fact that Iranian law forbids the military from interfering in politics, the Guards do it, directly or indirectly, as a matter of routine. For Iran’s neighbours, this development does not instill hope. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]
AFP