TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's leader said that he was confident voters would return a parliament prepared to stand up to the United States at Friday's election and prove that the lifting of sanctions on the Islamic Republic had not changed its anti-Western stance.
Iranians will vote for representatives to the 290-seat parliament and to the 88-member body that will elect Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's successor, in the first elections since last year's nuclear deal with world powers.
The polls pit centrists close to President Hassan Rouhani against hardliners backed by the conservative establishment, which has drawn criticism from the president after barring many of his allies from the race.
"The nation will vote for a parliament that puts Iran's dignity and independence first, and stands up to foreign powers whose influence on Iran has been removed," Khamenei was quoted as saying by his official website on Wednesday. (READ MORE)
