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Tehran seeking constructive talks with neighbours: Iran's envoy

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ANI Tehran [Iran]
Last Updated : May 20 2017 | 11:28 AM IST

Iran's ambassador to Kuwait Alireza Enayati has said that Tehran is seeking constructive and peaceful talks with its neighbours to develop better ties with them.

The IRNA news agency quoted Enayati, as saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran with its incoming president's definitely seeking constructive talks and good neighborliness, because developing ties with neighbours is part of Iran's basic goals.

Speaking about U.S. President Donald Trump meeting the Arab States' officials, the envoy said Iran supports the dialogue to solve regional problems and has always stressed upon more cooperation between Persian Gulf countries.

He made these remarks while visiting polling stations for resident Iranians in Kuwait.

A large number of Iranians in Kuwait participated in the presidential elections by casting their votes.

After a huge voter turnout in an unexpectedly tight presidential race between President Hassan Rouhani and hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, the counting of votes began in Iran on Saturday

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Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said that voting for presidential and local elections in Iran was extended for the third time and stressed that polling will definitely end at 12 pm local time.

The polls opened at 8 a.m local time on Friday. More than 40 million people have voted in this election.

The election will go into a runoff if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of votes cast.

Iran's presidential elections will have a huge impact on country's relations with the West and on the Iran nuclear deal which was achieved after years of tough negotiations.

Electoral decisions in Iran are taken by its most powerful political body, the Guardian Council. It is the upper house of the Iranian Parliament and has twelve members, all of whom are men.

The Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei helps appoint the Guardian Council, panel of conservatives that decides who will run for president. Khamenei has the final say on all matter of foreign and domestic policy .

The election is seen as a verdict on Rouhani's policy of opening up Iran to the world and his efforts to revive the economy.

President Rouhani has sought to frame the election as a choice between greater civil liberties and extremism.

Rouhani, meanwhile, is essentially running for re-election as an outsider, and is backed by Iran's reformist camp.

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First Published: May 20 2017 | 11:28 AM IST

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