US-sanctioned ex-officer among Iranian candidates to replace Raisi

Vahid Haghanian, a former commander in the Revolutionary Guards, shows his identification document to the media while registering his name as a candidate for the June 28 presidential election at the Interior Ministry in Tehran, Iran, on June 1, 2024. [AP Photo]

U.S-sanctioned former Revolutionary Guards commander Vahid Haghanian is among the candidates who registered Saturday to become Iran's next president following the death in a helicopter crash of Ebrahim Raisi, state media reported.

Haghanian, a close aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told reporters after registering that his qualifications were based on "experience from serving 45 years in the presidency and the leader's office."