Iran's ex-president Khatami banned from public ceremonies

TEHRAN — Iran's semi-official ILNA news agency is reporting that the country's authorities have banned former reformist President Mohammad Khatami from appearing at public ceremonies for three months.

The yesterday report quotes Mohammad Anjam, Khatami's lawyer, as saying that a letter attributed to a judicial authority has been delivered to Khatami house saying that he has been barred from public political, cultural and promotional ceremonies for three months starting September 23.

Khatami is considered to have played a key role in Hassan Rouhani's ascension to the presidency in 2013 and 2017, apparently convincing reformist challenger Mohammad Reza Aref to step aside.

Khatami, who served as president from 1997 to 2005, is considered to be the spiritual leader of Iran's reformists, and remains influential among youth despite being under a media ban.