Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will run for a second term, his press adviser said Wednesday. Although the president has not formally announced his candidacy for the June 12 elections, the adviser, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, told The Washington Post that Ahmadinejad will “definitely become a candidate.” Analysts in the United States have said that the Obama administration is considering postponing proposed direct talks with Iran and awaiting the outcome of the country’s presidential election. Ahmadinejad has strongly defended Iran’s nuclear program, saying it is aimed at meeting civilian energy needs. During an interview with al-Arabiya television Monday, President Obama warned that pursuit of a nuclear weapon by Iran was “not conducive to peace.” On Tuesday, Iran’s top military commander, Maj. Gen. Hasan Firuzabadi, spoke openly in support of Ahmadinejad. “The Ahmadinejad administration showed that the presidency and the great potential of the position require a lot of energy and competence,” Firuzabadi said. “The presidency is not for old, retired people.”
