Iran's Ahmadinejad registers to run for president

Teheran

IRAN'S former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the shock move on Wednesday of registering for next month's presidential election, going against the advice of the supreme leader.

Mr Ahmadinejad had previously insisted that he would not stand after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last year that his candidacy would have a "polarising" effect on the nation, and instead backed his ex-deputy Hamid Baghaie.