Source: Reuters

A grandson of Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini registered on Friday for February’s election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, state broadcaster IRIB reported.

Hassan Khomeini, 43, a politically moderate cleric, will be the first member of the family of Iran’s revolutionary founder to test his popularity at the ballot box.

In a conditional endorsement of the move, incumbent Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Khomeini last week he should be careful not to bring his grandfather’s name into disrepute, a source close to Khomeini said.

Hardliners close to Khamenei have voiced concerns about Hassan Khomeini’s candidacy, warning of the risk of a reformist alliance emerging at the top of Iran’s political establishment.