Iran: Labor minister to run for President

Iran's Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mohammad Jahromi has announced that he will run in the upcoming presidential elections.   "I feel that I must prepare for the tenth presidential elections, considering my professional career and the need to participate with public service in mind," Jahan News quoted Jahromi as saying.  "The country's economic problems, the thirst for progress and development, and the need to avoid tension make it necessary for candidates with diverse perspectives to take part in the presidential elections," he added.   Jahromi has played a significant role in laying out the government's economic policy during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's term in office.  However, recent reports in the Iranian media have highlighted critical comments made by the minister over the non-implementation of a number of economic directives.  The directives are concerned with the government's monetary, stock market and employment policies.   Ahmadinejad's former interior minister, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, has also announced that he is ready to run in the 2009 presidential elections. MJ/CW/DT Original source at PressTV