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.

Everyone was surprised to see the old ayatollah to try his luck once again. At the time he was 79 and had been president twice. The Guardian Council, the hard-line clerical body tasked with vetting the candidates, officially rejected Rafsanjani due to his age, though the reason was more likely President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s intelligence minister having reportedly lobbied against him, leaving Aref and Rouhani in the game. As the presidential debates kicked off, Rouhani, who was at that time unknown to the public, won popularity for his harsh and outspoken remarks against the hard-liners.

Former President Mohammad Khatami, considered the spiritual leader of the Reformist camp, urged Aref to withdraw in favor of Rouhani. Aref resisted before finally agreeing, but didn’t declare his support for Rouhani.