Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will contest the disqualification of his ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei from next month’s presidential poll.
Mr Mashaei and ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani have been excluded by the Guardian Council, which vets election candidates.
The eight men cleared to stand are all considered conservatives.
The Guardian Council is loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“In my opinion there will be no problem with the leader [Khamenei] and I will take up this issue until the last moment with him,” Mr Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
“I am hopeful the problem will be solved,” he added.
However, Mr Rafsanjani will not contest his disqualification, his campaign manager was quoted as saying.
Mr Rafsanjani, who was president between 1989 and 1997, had been seen as a candidate who could win the support of pro-reform and centrist politicians, whose two leaders from the last election are under house arrest.
