Mir-Hossein Moussavi

Former premier Moussavi challenges Ahmadinejad in election

Former premier Moussavi challenges Ahmadinejad in election Tehran - Moderate Iranian presidential hopeful Mir-Hossein Moussavi on Monday accused President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of being a radical, particularly in foreign policy.

In his first news conference in Tehran, the former prime minister accused the hardline president of radical policies that "severely harmed our national interests."

"Extremism brings heavy costs for us, such as chanting harshly worded slogans and at the same time talking about friendship with Israeli nation," he said.

Moussavi pledges to continue reforms if elected in Iran

Moussavi pledges to continue reforms if elected in Iran Tehran - Presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi vowed to continue the reform course of former president Mohammad Khatami if elected, the labour agency ILNA reported Tuesday.

Khatami quit the presidential race on Monday night to support former prime minister Moussavi in the June 12 election.

In a letter to Khatami, Moussavi praised his decision to withdraw and promised to continue the reform course the moderate cleric had adopted during his eight-year presidential tenure (1997-2005).

PROFILE: Moussavi - Comeback of the crisis-manager

Moussavi - Comeback of the crisis-managerTehran  - Iranian former prime minister Mir-Hossein Moussavi has been away from the political scene for two decades, but now the pragmatic technocrat is back to challenge Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 presidential election.

Former president Mohammad Khatami threw his support behind Moussavi on Monday after quitting the race to avoid splitting the vote between two candidates with similar platforms.

Moussavi, born in 1941 in Khameneh, north-eastern Iran, started his political career as foreign minister in 1980, the same year that the Iran-Iraq war broke out.

Presidential challenger criticizes Ahmadinejad's economic programmes

Presidential challenger criticizes Ahmadinejad's economic programmesTehran  - Iranian presidential candidate and former prime minister Mir-Hossein Moussavi on Saturday criticized the economic programmes of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and blamed him for not considering the hard times when the oil price was high.

"When we had a lot of foreign currency income (through oil exports), we did not plan anything for the (current) recession phase," said Moussavi in his first campaign speech in a mosque in the southern Tehran district Nazi Abad.

Former Iranian prime minister to run in presidential election

Former Iranian prime minister to run in presidential electionTehran - Former Iranian prime minister Mir-Hossein Moussavi said Tuesday he was prepared to run in the June 12 presidential election, ISNA news agency reported.

Moussavi is a moderate technocrat opposing the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and considered close to the two other candidates, Mohammad Khatami and Mehdi Karroubi.

Moussavi, born in 1941 in Khameneh, north-western Iran, was prime minister from 1981 and 1989, during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988).