Khomeini family breaks taboo, backs Rouhani

For the first time after the demise of the founder of the Islamic Republic, the family of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini has expressed support for a candidate in a presidential election.
Iranian Parliament speaker Ali Larijani (L) speaks with Hassan Khomeini, grandson of Iran's late founder of the Islamic Republic, during a mourning ceremony for the former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at the Jamaran mosque in Tehran on January 9, 2017. Rafsanjani died in hospital on January 8 after suffering a heart attack. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997. / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo
Iranian parliament Speaker Ali Larijani (L) speaks with Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, during a mourning ceremony for former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at Jamaran Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 9, 2017. - ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images
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On May 16, the prominent grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini threw his weight behind President Hassan Rouhani's re-election bid.

Seyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, announced his support for the moderate Rouhani, who is seeking a second term in the May 19 election. Such an endorsement is unprecedented for the Khomeini family.

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