In a statement issued on late Wednesday, Mohammad Sadeq Kharazi, the secretary general of the newly established Voice of Iranians party, announced he has no intention to stand as a candidate in the next presidential election in 2017, saying the party has been formed to back the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, IRNA reported. The veteran diplomat, who formerly served as the ambassador to the United Nations and the ambassador to France, said, “Those who spread these rumors are not aware of the close friendship and relations between me and Rouhani.”
