Khamenei Calls On Iran Candidates To Avoid Concessions To West

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech on the 24th anniversary of the death of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (pictured right) at his mausoleum in a suburb of Tehran on June 4.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the country's next president should avoid making "concessions" to the West.

He made the comment in a televised speech on June 4 marking anniversary the 1989 death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic revolution's founder.

Khamenei said the readiness of some presidential candidates to make such concessions was "a mistake" and would not diffuse tensions over Tehran's nuclear program.

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Last week, presidential candidate Ali Akbar Velayati, a Khamenei adviser, called for "reconciliation with the world" to solve problems like unemployment and high inflation.

Khamenei also said the "enemies of Iran" intend to make trouble during the June 14 election.

A wave of protest followed Iran's disputed 2009 election.

Khamenei reiterated previous statements that he is not backing a particular candidate among the eight approved to run for president.

The vote is the first presidential ballot since Mahmud Ahmadinejad's disputed reelection in 2009 sparked massive street protests from the political opposition and a massive crackdown by authorities.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP