by Stephen Lendman

It's scheduled for June 14. Eight candidates will participate. More on them below. If none achieve a 50% or more majority, a June 21 runoff will follow.

On the same day, local city and village elections will be held. Thousands of aspirants registered to participate. In 2012, parliamentary elections were held.

Imperial critics wasted no time targeting Iran's process. It's standard practice. They prioritize meddling in its internal affairs. They do so shamelessly and maliciously.

Expect lots more through June 14 and post-election. Perhaps what happened in 2009 will be repeated. Media scoundrels lied. They claimed Iranians got to choose between democracy and autocracy.

Post-election, they claimed fraud. Four candidates competed. Turnout was 85% of eligible voters. The last time a US presidential election topped 60% was 1968.

For the past 45 years, nearly half of enfranchised Americans opted out. They did so for good reason. Why bother without legitimate choices. They have none.

Two major parties compete. They represent two sides of the same coin. Party bosses choose candidates. Monied interests have final say. America never had democracy. It has none now.

Previous articles explained its illegitimacy. Duopoly power rules. Monied interests run things. Ordinary people have no say. They get the best democracy money can buy. It mocks the real thing.

In 2009, Ahmadinejad won by a landslide. He got 62.63% of the vote. He did so legitimately. He bested his nearest rival nearly two to one. It didn't surprise. Independent pre-election polls predicted he'd win overwhelmingly.

After results were announced, days of street protests erupted. Washington's dirty hands choreographed them. Iran's targeted repeatedly.

In 2009, Pak Alert Press reported former Pakistani General Mirza Aslam Beig's Pashto Radio interview. He said documents he saw "prove(d) that the CIA spent $400 million inside Iran to prop up a colorful hollow revolution following the election."

He called Ahmadinejad's victory "a decisive point in regional policy, and if Pakistan and Afghanistan unite(d) with Iran, the US (would have) to leave the area, especially occupied Afghanistan."

In July 2008, Seymour Hersh headlined "Preparing the Battlefield. The Bush Administration steps up its secret moves against Iran."

"Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources."

"These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country's religious leadership."

Ardeshir Ommni co-founded the American Iranian Friendship Committee. Days after the 2009 election, he said internal elements were "doing (their) utmost to create unrest and prepare the ground for a velvet takeover."

It won't work, he added, "because the workers and farmers, the millions who gave their the lives of their children for the cause of independence and sovereignty, defend the Revolution and their real President who has frustrated the schemes and plots of the warmongers."

They're grateful that "Ahmadinejad has defied and resisted the war threats and sanctions by the same powers that have ruined the lives of" millions throughout the world.

Iranian elections shame America's sham process. Don't expect political Washington or media scoundrels to explain.

Iran's an Islamic Republic. The Guardian Council vets candidates. At issue is protecting Iran's Islamic character. It's also to preserve its sovereignty. Preventing imperial interests from gaining control is key.

Doing so would return Iran to its ugly past. In 1953, after Washington ousted democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddegh, a generation-long reign of terror followed.

Iman Ali Khamenei and other Guardian Council members want no repeat of repressive Western-dominated rule. Most Iranians feel the same way.

It's their country. It's their right to decide. Iran's one of the few regional states holding real elections. Ruling monarchs and despots run most others. Some pretend to hold elections. They're little more than shams.

Israel's process falls short of legitimacy. Voters get little choice. Ideological extremists run Israel. They prioritize violence and instability. They support stealing Palestinian land.

Rhetoric alone separates most candidates. Policies are hardline. Hypocrisy substitutes for democracy.

Arab candidates can participate. They can hold Knesset seats. They have no say whatever on policy.

Don't expect media scoundrels to explain. They report managed news misinformation. They pretend doing so is real. Instead of informing, they deceive.

On May 8, The New York Times headlined "Prospect of Iran's Election Stirs Little Hope This Time Around," saying:

Candidates lack charisma. "There is little talk of a boycott, but no enthusiasm or expectations that the election will make any difference in people’s lives."

The Times said so based on comments from pre-selected Iranians. Conclusions drawn this way have no legitimacy. What followed was worse, saying:

"Today, most of the leading figures of the 2009 opposition - politicians, dissidents and journalists - have been silenced or fled the country. Many of them are still in jail (or) remain under house arrest."

"Many (voters) still feel cheated, if not by the outcome of the vote, which many here viewed as fraudulent, then by the way their complaints were swept aside by security forces on the streets of Tehran."

As explained above, Ahmadinejad won overwhelmingly. Washington's dirty hands stoked anti-Iranian sentiment. It's an ongoing process.

The Times and other media scoundrels regurgitate official lies. Doing so turns truth on its head. Iranian media are polar opposite.

Press TV, Fars News, and others report what viewers and readers need to know. Independent voices are invited to contribute. Their views are respected. They're published and aired freely.

America's major media feature managed news misinformation. What readers and viewers most need to know is sanitized and suppressed.

Times editors support wealth, power and privilege. They're pro-war, pro-business, and anti-government of, by, and for everyone equitably and fairly.

Other distorted Times reports claimed Iranian presidential candidates are threatened, resentment followed two recent ones disqualified from running, and power struggles grip Iran ahead of the June vote.

Each article misreported disgracefully. Readers were shamelessly betrayed. It's standard Times practice. All the most important news fit to print is sanitized, manipulated or excluded.

An earlier open letter to New York Times editors challenged them. It was one of this writer's most widely read articles. It touched an important nerve.

Growing numbers of readers and viewers are tired of being lied to. Hopefully their numbers will swell to many millions. It's the only chance for real change.

Understanding how their government misrepresents and abuses them is step one toward doing so. Sunshine is the best disinfectant. It reveals what people most need to know.

It's not too late to find out. It's vital that most people understand. American ruthlessness threatens humanity. Public awareness inspiring resistance is the best chance to prevent it. Don't expect media scoundrels to try.

Iran deplores violence and instability. It urges peace, not war. It hasn't waged one in centuries. It threatens none of its neighbors now.

Media scoundrels assail it maliciously. Its June presidential election is mocked. On May 8, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Iran Cracks Down Ahead of Election," saying:

It did so "pre-emptive(ly)." It misreported claiming it. No corroborating evidence proves it. Fraud allegations ignited post-2009 elections, it said.

Unmentioned was Washington's dirty hands choreographing them. As explained above, results matched independent poll predictions. The Journal didn't explain.

It quoted New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights (ICHRI) director Hadi Ghaemei. He serves US interests. He lied saying Iranians "are extremely worried. It looks like they are getting ready for a communication lockdown."

ICHRI is part of the Dutch Foundation for Human Rights in Iran. Ghaemi formerly served on the National Iranian American Council's board. It's gotten over a quarter million dollars in National Endowment for Democracy (NED) funding.

NED is a State Department foreign policy/propaganda tool. Ghaemi's hands are dirty. So are other Iranian dissidents. They get US and other Western support. They're paid to help destabilize Iran.

ICHRI admits it gets private foundation funding. They represent American big monied interests. They want Iran isolated and suffocated. They support regime change.

They want alternative media voices silenced. Truth exposes their diabolical agenda.

Information flows freely in Iran. Scoundrel media prioritize managed news misinformation. The Wall Street Journal's in lockstep with others.

Systematic lying is standard practice. The Journal cited Iranian baztab.net editor Ali Ghazali. It said he was arrested for instigating public unrest. He claimed possession of an Ahmadinejad recording claiming 2009 vote fraud.

No tape surfaced. Uncorroborated claims have no legitimacy. Why would Ahmadinejad commit fraud when pre-election polls predicted he'd win overwhelmingly? Claiming it shows who's agenda is served.

At issue is who put Ghazali up to misreporting? It's not hard imagining a likely suspect. Washington notoriously tries rigging elections to its own advantage. When not possible, the alternative is claiming fraud.

The Journal also said Tehran-based foreign media journalists failed to get their press credentials validated. Those substituting propaganda for real news and information have no right to hold them.

This writer and other independent analysts appear often on Iranian print and broadcast media. We're able to speak freely on many geopolitical issues. No effort whatever is made to censor us. America's scoundrel media are polar opposites.

Iran's repeatedly vilified. It's done so maliciously. At issue isn't Iranian politics. Independent governments aren't tolerated.

America wants subservient pro-Western ones replacing them. They want puppet leaders instead of legitimate ones. Don't expect media scoundrels to explain.

Kenneth Timmerman heads the anti-Iranian Foundation for Democracy in Iran. Several of its advisory board members are current or former CIA or other US officials.

They include former CIA director James Woolsey and former Assistant Secretary of Defense/Center for Security Policy head/right-wing extremist Frank Gaffney.

Timmerman represents the extreme far right. The Washington Times featured his anti-Iranian diatribe. He headlined "Iran's free-election farce," saying:

They're "choreographed aimed at maintaining the illusion that the Iranian people have a say in how their country is government."

America's scoundrel media feature this type trash. Respectable publications wouldn't touch it. In 1982, Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon founded WaTimes. It features ultra-conservative right-wing propaganda.

Timmerman has no credibility whatever. His anti-Iranian propaganda earned him a 2006 Nobel Peace Prize nomination. In 1939, Hitler was nominated.

Nearly always hypocrisy wins. War criminals are favorites. Nobel committee members have much to answer for. They represent wealth, power, privilege, imperial lawlessness and war. They abhor peace.

Perhaps they believe war is peace. They'll have to explain why scoundrels regularly win their highest award. Ahead of the 1939 award, WW II began. No Peace Prize winner was named. In 2006, Grameen Bank's Muhammad Yunus won. The exception proves the rule.

Iran Election Watch calls itself "an independent online media project reporting on Iran's pivotal 2013 presidential election."

So-called journalists fall short of legitimacy. Denise Ajiri is Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Persian service feature editor and web writer.

These operations, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Worldnet Television, and the anti-Castro Radio/TV Marti comprise US global propaganda.

Nima Tamaddon formerly was editor at the Institute for War & Peace Reporting. She also did media work for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Michael Hirshman is a California-based entrepreneur and former journalist.

Iran Election Watch is another pro-Western/anti-Iranian propaganda initiative. Expect biased reports continuing through post-election. Get trustworthy ones from legitimate sources. Avoid all others.

Iranian Presidential Candidates

Saeed Jalili is Supreme National Security Council secretary. He's also Iran's chief nuclear negotiator in P5 + 1 talks. Participating countries include America, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany.

Majlis is Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly. It's Iran's Parliament or People's House. Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel is Majlis Cultural Committee chairman. From 2004 - 2008, he also served as Majlis speaker.

Mohsen Rezaei is Expediency Council secretary. From 1981 - 1997, he was Islamic Revolution Guards Corps commander. In 2005 and 2009, he ran for president.

Hassan Rohani is Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council director. Earlier he was Supreme National Security Council secretary. During President Mohammad Khatami's tenure, he was chief Iranian nuclear negotiator in talks with Britain, France and Germany.

Mohammad Reza Aref was President Mohammad Khatimi's first vice president. He served during his second term. In his first term, he was communications minister. From 1994 - 1997, he was Tehran University chancellor.

Mohammad Gharazi served as former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's communications minister.

Since 2005, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's been Tehran mayor. City council members elected him. Earlier he was national police chief. In 2005, he ran for president.

Ali Akbar Velayati is Iman Ali Khamenei's senior foreign policy advisor. Earlier he was Iran’s foreign minister. He served for 16 years.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

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Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

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