Until now, military officials were only able to make a bid for the highest publicly elected office in the land after being vetted by the Constitutional Court on a case-by-case basis.
Iran's Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of allowing senior commanders from the country's armed forces to run for president, Press TV reports, citing the ruling.
The ruling is significant, as previously, the Court was tasked with interpreting the Constitution on the qualifications of each individual prospective candidate from the military seeking a shot at the presidency.
Press TV says the ruling effectively puts an end to a years-long debate about whether members of the armed forces should be allowed to be engaged in civilian politics at a senior level.
Iranians will go to the polls to pick a new president on 18 June. Registration will formally start next week, with nearly two dozen individuals already declaring their intention to run, and over a dozen more expressing interest or being deemed potential candidates.
Among the possible contenders is Brig. Gen (ret.) Hossein Dehghan, the former defence minister-turned advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Dehghan served as defence minister between 2013 and 2017 during President Hassan Rouhani's first term. In recent media interviews, the retired commander has warned about the risks of a tactical conflict with the US escalating into a full-scale war, and…
