Senior cleric: Iranian’s high turnout in May 19 elections will dash enemies’ hopes

Addressing the worshipers at his sermons at Tehran University campus, the cleric said the Islamic establishment gives top priority to people’s huge turnout in the upcoming presidential elections.

“Never in the history of Iran’s presidential elections, enemies of the country have been so busy working on the elections in their media,” Ayatollah Khatami said criticizing enemies efforts to affect Iran’s presidential elections on May 19 through their massive propaganda.

Urging the Iranian voters to elect for the most qualified candidate, the cleric elaborated on the characteristics of the most qualified candidate.

He said that the most qualified candidate is the one who has both planning and capability to put his plans into force.

“We have to believe that our enemies are in an all-out cultural war with us,” Ayatollah Khatami said adding that enemies have targeted religion, ethics, people’s identity and the Islamic system in their websites and cyberspace, therefore the one who is elected as the most qualified candidate has to believe in this war.”

“We want a president that is able to give a firm and crushing response at the same level that Americans insulted the Iranian nation, said the cleric urging the next president of the country to follow the way of the founder of the Islamic Republic, the late Ayatollah Khomeini who had described the US as the “Great Satan.”

Another characteristic for the most qualified candidate is his adherence to law, Ayatollah Khatami said.

He noted that a candidate should be elected as the next president who is not affiliated to any specific political party or family but only to the law.

Ayatollah Khatami also said that the most qualified candidate must close all the doors for corruption and has to have a modest lifestyle.

Referring to the terrorist attacks in the Mirjaveh zero borfer point in southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan which claimed lives of 11 Iranian border guards, Ayatollah Khatemi urged Foreign Ministry officials to show a due and firm reaction to the terrorist attack and also warn the Pakistani officials to stop letting their country be a safe haven for the terrorists.

Armed bandits affiliated to the so-called Jaish ul-Adl (Army of Justice) terrorist group attacked the Iranian border guards from the Pakistan’s soil on April 26, killing 11 Iranian border guards, including 3 officers and 8 privates in an ambush in Mirjaveh region some 75 km to the eastern Zahedan, capital city of the Sistan-Baluchestan province, neighboring Pakistan.