Hidden hands trying to prevent free and legal elections in Iraq: Rafsanjani

Description of Selected News: "Hidden hands trying to prevent free and legal elections in Iraq: Rafsanjani

TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (MNA) –- Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said here on Friday that there are hidden hands at work trying to prevent the Iraqis from holding free and legal elections.

These elements are disappointed about the possibility of a democratic government being established in the country, he told worshippers in a sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran.

Rafsanjani strongly rejected charges that Iran is meddling in Iraq's internal affairs, adding that the Iraqi people are also aware of this fact.

The allegations that Iran is seeking to intervene in Iraq are propagated by "mercenaries and allies" of the United States, he observed.

Turning to the proposals for reforms in the structure of the United Nations, the EC chairman stated that Iran agrees with idea but believes these reforms should protect the rights of the oppressed and oppose the brutal dictatorship of superpowers over the world.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he stressed that although the enemies of Iran have always sought to weaken the country over the years, today the Islamic Republic is as steady, stable, and strong as a mountain.

Referring to the economic improvement, social justice, and over-all development achieved in Iran since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Rafsanjani said that despite the eight-year Iran-Iraq war and economic sanctions, Iran currently enjoys valuables assets and has made various scientific achievements that are acknowledged by friends and foes alike. “Under the current circumstances, we should give support to the more vulnerable strata of society by creating more job opportunities and implementing policies meant to realize complete social prosperity.”"