Iran hard-liner concedes 'decisive' win by judiciary chief

A former Revolutionary Guard commander running in Iran’s presidential election has conceded his loss to the country’s hard-line judiciary chief, describing his competitor’s win as “decisive.”

APTOPIX Iran Elections (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A former Revolutionary Guard commander running in Iran s presidential election conceded his loss Saturday to the country's hard-line judiciary chief, describing his competitor's win as “decisive.”

Mohsen Rezaei's concession in a post on Twitter came as Iran's outgoing President Hassan Rouhani also acknowledged the winner in the country's vote Friday was “clear,” though he didn't immediately name judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi.

The election was dominated by Raisi, a protege of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the disqualification of the strongest competitors who could have challenged him in the vote.

On Twitter, Rezaei praised Khamenei and the Iranian people for taking part in the vote.

“God willing, the decisive election of my esteemed brother, Ayatollah Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, promises the establishment of a strong and popular government to solve the country’s problems," Rezaei wrote.