London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Reports emerged from Tehran today that both Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, the two most controversial candidates in Iran’s upcoming presidential election, have been disqualified.

The Mehr News agency published a list of candidates that it said had been approved by Iran’s Guardian Council, which vets presidential and parliamentary candidates, which did not include either of the two men.

The list contained 8 candidates: Ali Akbar Velayati, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, Hassan Rouhani, Mohammad Reza Aref, Qolam Ali Haddad Adel, Mohsen Rezaei and Mohammad Qarazi.

The disqualification of Hashemi Rafsanjani, if confirmed, is likely to be seen as the boldest action yet by the radical wing of Iran’s conservatives to ensure that the next president will be a figure unquestionably loyal to the existing political system.

After last Friday Prayers’ sermon by Ayatollah Jannati, the chairman of the Guardian Council, in which he implicitly justified the disqualification of specific candidates, many from both the radical and moderate camps have suspected that the Guardian council might reject Hashemi Rafsanjani, a centrist former president backed by many reformists.

Sadeq Zibakalam, a political scientist and commentator, said: “Rafsanjani will not seek to appeal if he’s rejected by the Guardian Council. Instead he will be rather pleased by such decision.” According to Zibakalam, Rafsanjani was reluctant to register up until the last minute, but acquiesced after intense pressure from supporters.

Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a pro-reform MP, expressed disbelief at Rafsanjani’s reported disqualification, given his track record as a leader in the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the Iran-Iraq war, two terms as president and, current chairmanship of the Expediency Council. However, he agreed that “Rafsanjani will not withdraw or protest if he learns of his disqualification,” he added.

Apart from the impact on the upcoming election, “the disqualification of Hashemi Rafsanjani will have a negative impact on the long-term stability of the Islamic Republic. It will deepen the wound caused by 2009 disputed election and could further push Rafsanjani into opposite side of the current ruling system,” Mohsen Milani, the executive director of the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies at the University of South Florida, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Rafsanjani is however different from Mir Houssein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi in political style and temperament, so his opposition will manifest itself in a more subtle way. In fact, disqualification of the chairman of the Expediency Council appointed by the Supreme Leader is a farcical paradox that can only happen in Iran,” Milani added.

In contrast, Meshaei, a very close aide of incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has vowed to appeal if he is disqualified.

He said: “we will surely pursue our rights through legal means and the Supreme Leader until it is granted,” according to the NAM news agency.

The Guardian Council reportedly sent its list of approved candidates to Iran’s Interior Ministry this evening. Solat Mortazavi, the directorate of election department at the Interior Ministry, said: “Assessment of the eligibility of candidates by the Guardian Council ended on Tuesday, and the Interior Ministry will announce the results on Wednesday.”