Yemen's Houthi rebels claim they shot down another US MQ-9 drone
Pope Francis visit keenly awaited in deeply Catholic East Timor
Pope brings in a ton of humanitarian aid, toys to remote Papua New Guinea as he celebrates periphery
Musk says SpaceX to launch first uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese out for the rest of the WNBA season due to a wrist injury
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's Guardian Council, which oversees elections and legislation, has approved six candidates to run for president in snap elections to be held later this month after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, Iran's State TV reported on Sunday.
On the list are Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran's hardline parliament speaker and former Revolutionary Guards commander, Saeed Jalili, a conservative, who was former chief nuclear negotiator and ran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office for four years and Tehran's conservative mayor Alireza Zakani, according to State TV.
The list, announced on state TV by the Election Office spokesperson, also includes Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist lawmaker, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a hardliner and a former interior minister, and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi a conservative politician.
"With the announcement of the final list of candidates, their electoral activities start officially," state TV said.
The election is due to take place on June 28.
The Council disqualified hardline former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, a prominent conservative, state media said.
(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly. Editing by Jane Merriman)
