Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the controversial hardliner who was president of Iran from 2005 to 2013, on April 12 unexpectedly registered to run in the presidential race set to take place in May.
Associated Press reported that election officials were stunned when they were requested to process his registration paperwork, given that previous year Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took the unusual step of publicly stating that he had recommended that Ahmadinejad should stay out of the contest, set to culminate on May 19.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has advised Ahmadinejad not to run for president in the May elections, saying his potential candidacy would "polarise" the general atmosphere governing the country.
Ahmadinejad had insisted he would not run after Khamenei said a year ago that his candidacy would have a "polarizing" effect on the nation, and instead backed his ex-deputy Hamid Baghaei.
Iranian media say more than 600 candidates have registered to run in next month's presidential election.
Ahmadinejad won two successive terms in 2005 and 2009 before being replaced by Rouhani in 2013. After four years out of office, he became eligible to run again under Iranian law.
With the continued global interest in the 1988 massacre and the continued struggle of the Iranian economy despite sanctions being lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear agreement, it seems that this election cycle will produce a president who faces more issues, but this election is not likely to reflect the will of the people.
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The May 19 election is seen by many in Iran as a referendum on the 2015 nuclear agreement and other efforts to improve the country's sanctions-hobbled economy.
That referenced Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009, which sparked massive protests and a sweeping crackdown in which thousands of people were detained and dozens were killed.
Internationally, he is more known for repeatedly questioning the scale of the Holocaust, predicting Israel's demise and expanding Iran's nuclear programme.
Ahmadinejad's decision shocked Iran as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered a thinly veiled warning in September that his candidacy would be a "polarized situation" that would be "harmful for the county".
Once the registration process ends, the would-be candidates will be vetted by the Guardian Council, the country's most influential clerical body. Ahmadinejad himself described his decision to run as meant to help Baghaei.
Taleblu speculated that Ahmadinejad may be attempting to gather support for his preferred candidate, Hamid Baghaie, a close ally and former advisor.
She also noted that it could be part of a political plan to make sure that Baghaei is not disqualified by the Guardian Council, thus looking as if they are eliminating all the members of that faction from the election. Under that deal, Iran agreed to curb its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of worldwide sanctions. On Sunday, Ebrahim Raisi, a conservative cleric close to Khamenei, announced he would put his name on the list. President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, is expected to seek re-election. Rouhani also is presumed to maintain support among liberals and those wanting tensions eased with the West, though polling is hard.
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