The political life of Reformist leader Mohammad Reza Aref is being brought to an end — not by hard-liners, but by Aref himself.
Aref, a Stanford graduate, nominated himself in the 2013 presidential election. He was not the official candidate of the Reformist camp, having made the decision on his own. He declared that he would withdraw if Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani stepped forward. Moderate Hassan Rouhani, a protege of Rafsanjani, was also ready to drop out of the race in deference to the senior statesman.