Tehran dismisses Kerry’s remarks about Iranian presidential election

TEHRAN,May 27(MNA) – Tehran has dismissed remarks by the U.S. secretary of state in which he has criticized the Guardian Council for barring some candidates to run in next month’s presidential election in Iran, saying it is an example of interference in the country’s internal affairs. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said senior U.S. officials know very little about the legal process of election in the Islamic Republic. The Guardian Council is constitutionally tasked with vetting candidates. During his visit to Israel on Friday, Kerry said, "That is hardly an election by which most people in most countries judge free, fair and accessible, accountable elections," as he claimed that the approved candidates only represent the interests of the Iranian establishment. Salehi dismissed the claims, saying that the United States’ support for democracy is just a “hollow gesture.” “In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Guardian Council is a legal body that has certain legal duties stipulated by the Constitution,” Salehi added. He also reminded U.S. officials about the Algiers Accords, according to which the United States had vowed not to interfere in Iranian internal affairs.