In a letter to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad expressed his gratitude for the Leader’s “significant” statements at the beginning of an advanced course on Islamic religious studies held in Tehran on Monday.
“...acting upon the guidelines of the great Leader of the (Islamic) Revolution, I have no plans to participate in next year’s presidential contest,” he wrote in the letter.
On Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei called on Iranian political figures to avoid taking actions that could provoke polarity within the society, warning that enemies are waiting to take advantage of disagreements among Iran's political forces.
The Leader’s concern about polarization of the society came after speculation ran rampant that Ahmadinejad would run for president in the 2017 election.
Ayatollah Khamenei then confirmed that he has advised a gentleman (without mentioning a specific name) in a recent meeting to “avoid getting involved in a certain event (election)” for the good of the country and of that individual himself.
“I did not tell him (specifically) not to participate (run for president),” the Leader explained, saying the individual has been told that his involvement “is not deemed expedient.”
Imam Khamenei noted that a holistic view of the country’s situation and that specific figure’s conditions led to the recommendation that he had better avoid engagement in the event to prevent polarization of the country.
The Leader once again stressed that it was a recommendation, saying it was not about ruling, but about expediency.