The lengths Iran's Guardian Council went to to squash the presidential hopes of top moderates shocked even many hard-liners in the Islamic Republic.  

After nearly 10 days of deliberations, the 12-member body of ultraconservative clerics and lawyers came out with a list of seven candidates from among nearly 600 individuals who had registered. Ali Larijani, Iran's long-serving former parliament speaker, was not on the list.

Rising as a conservative politician in the 1980s, Larijani has been for decades at the very top circle of decision-making in the Islamic Republic and is currently serving as an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Yet he has gradually transformed into a moderate figure, showing increasing closeness to incumbent President Hassan Rouhani. Larijani's shift toward the center has earned him the ire of hard-liners.

The Guardian Council normally offers little more than general explanations for the disqualifications. But as the body has long faced accusations of partisan bias, Larijani's removal is widely interpreted as a step toward facilitating a victory for hard-line judiciary chief Ibrahim Raisi. The cleric lost his presidential bid to Rouhani back in 2017 but remains uniquely close to the supreme leader and is blessed with unequivocal support from the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.