Iran's embattled reformists have created a political strategy committee to defend their movement after repeated setbacks at the hands of conservative rivals, press reports said Thursday.
The 2nd of Khordad reform coalition, named for the date of President Mohammad Khatami's 1997 election, picked top reformists to push for reforms in the run-up to next year's presidential polls, the Kayhan paper said.
Among the politicians on the committee is the president's brother Mohammad-Reza, who heads the largest pro-reform party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), the paper said.
The IIPF led the way as pro-Khatami reformists ousted the longtime conservative majority in parliament at the ballot box in February, only to see the courts close down every major pro-reform newspaper weeks later.
Khatami, who has said he will seek re-election in May, acknowledged in a rare television interview earlier this year that he would keep fighting for reforms but that his political room to maneuver was limited -- TEHRAN (AFP)
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