When Iran’s Interior Ministry released on Tuesday the final list of candidates approved by the 12-member Guardian Council to run for President in the upcoming June 18 election, all hell broke loose in Tehran.

An “unofficial” list of the seven candidates for the presidential election had already circulated and caused quite a stir, but it hadn’t been confirmed yet to be final. Now, barring a highly unlikely successful appeal, there can be no doubt. 

The talk of the town was that the list barred a lot of important people. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was out. So was Ali Larijani, a former Parliament speaker – and even the current Iranian Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, who should be the top reformist running.