Ahmadinejad's First Tweets Signal Bid for Relevance in Iran Vote
(Bloomberg) -- Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his most visible attempt at a political comeback, joining Twitter and posting a video request for followers in English.
His tweets on a social media platform that's off-limits to ordinary Iranian citizens touched on an array of topics ranging from justice for mankind and world peace to warm words for former ally Hugo Chavez, the late former Venezuela president.
Ahmadinejad is attempting to re-establish his relevance in Iran even after the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told him to stay out of the presidential race scheduled for May. Last month, state media published Ahmadinejad's 3,000-word letter to President Donald Trump praising the U.S. leader for calling out alleged corruption in the U.S. political system while criticizing his failed attempt to bar citizens of seven predominantly Muslim nations, including Iran, from entering the U.S.
Ahmadinejad's eight years in office were marked by confrontation with the West over Iran's nuclear program, crippling international sanctions, allegations of fraud in the 2009 vote that led to his re-election and the violent putdown of mass protests that ensued. He was succeeded by the current president, Hassan Rouhani.
Ahmadinejad's second term was fraught with quarrels involving top officials and he fell out of favor with Khamenei. Those tensions resurfaced in September when Khamenei said a presidential run by Ahmadinejad wouldn't serve Iran's interests. Ahmadinejad said he would heed Khamenei's concern that he would polarize the country and stand down.
Earlier this year, a former senior aide, Hamid Baghaei, announced he would run in the presidential election expected in May. Baghaei, who like all prospective candidates needs Guardian Council approval to run, is seen as Ahmadinejad's proxy in the race.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ladane Nasseri in Dubai at lnasseri@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Stuart Biggs
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
-
Indians Are Travelling, But Not Every Journey Is A Holiday | The Week In Whys
Pilgrims, patients and working women are the real travellers, and the system hasn't quite caught up with them.
-
Getting To Work Costs Women More | The Reason Why
It is not just about women paying more than men. It is about women paying much more in cities than in villages.
-
AI Bias In Investing Cannot Be Eliminated, But It Can Be Governed
Framing is a particularly important example as identical financial information presented in terms of gains rather than losses can lead an LLM to reach a different assessment.
-
Joining The Dots | Dark Skies, Steady Diya: Why Hope Holds This Diwali
With war, a weak rupee and foreign outflows weighing on sentiment, policymakers at the NDTV World Summit and market veterans at NDTV Profit Ignite: Diwali Edition offered the same advice: stay invested and filter out the noise.
-
The Curious Case of Equitas Small Finance Bank And A CEO Who Quit For Stock
PN Vasudevan believes persistent investor concerns over a perceived conflict of interest had become a governance overhang on Equitas Small Finance Bank's stock, even as the lender improved profitability and asset quality.
-
Talking Points This Week: AI Cash Burn, A Tiger Comeback And An India That Still Finds Its Own Path
India is not immune to higher oil or tighter global liquidity, yet its earnings base is broader, its domestic policy levers are still available.
-
Foreign Investors Own Half Of HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank. An LTCG Cut Could Matter Most Here
Foreign portfolio investors have US$115 billion parked in HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank. If the government cuts long-term capital gains tax, Jefferies says returning foreign money could land here first.
-
'Never Seen This Level Of Negativity': Sandeep Tandon Says The Next Rally May Be Closer Than You Think
Veteran investor Sandeep Tandon says foreign selling is easing, large-caps are due a comeback and mid-caps are crowded, while he turns positive on gold, power and pharma this Diwali.
