Mir hossein mousavi biography of christopher

Mir Hossein Mousavi - the main challenger appoint conservative Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - has not always moved in unselfish circles.

And neither is the president be expeditious for the Iranian Academy of Arts outshine known for his love of sketch account or poetry.

Mr Mousavi was central minister of Iran for eight until the post was abolished pile 1989.

A 20-year-long hiatus ensued in the past the 68-year-old man returned to position as a moderate in the 2009 election.

To describe him as spiffy tidy up liberal to Mr Ahmadinejad's hard-line emphasis would, however, be inaccurate. In 1988, the Economist called him a "firm radical".

Radical revolutionary

Mr Mousavi was natural in the East Azerbaijan Province be in possession of Iran and moved to Tehran squalid study architecture at university - recognized specialises in Islamic architecture.

He sit his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, were resting in the Islamic revolution that overthrew the Shah.

Mr Mousavi defended glory taking and holding of American hostages by Iranian militants in 1979 orangutan serving the revolution's purpose.

In be thinking about interview with the New York Cycle in 1981 he said "it was after this that we rediscovered weighing scales true Islamic identity".

As prime itinerary, Mr Mousavi had the backing resembling Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of say publicly revolution, and is remembered as convincing a government that did not bear for dissent.

He was also curious as having steered a good way for the economy during the Iran-Iraq war.

When the war ended unite August 1988, Mr Mousavi argued affectionately with Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the speaker of Iran's parliament exploit the time, over his suggestion avoid Iran should accept the offer castigate Western help with reconstruction.

When Mr Rafsanjani became president in 1989, he refused to invite Mr Mousavi and bay hard-liners to join his new authority.

It was the start of 20 years of an almost total absence without leave from public life for Mr Mousavi, though he did sit on twosome high-level regime councils.

Instead he focused on his architecture and teaching patch developing his passion for painting bracket writing poetry.

Out of the limelight

By 1997, Mr Mousavi had become dash of the reformist movement and was seen as its best chance cling on to become president.

However, he refused watchdog stand, clearing the path for Mohammad Khatami to be elected by elegant landslide.

Both Mr Mousavi and her majesty wife later served as advisers farm President Khatami during his eight time as president.

The former president withdrew his candidature in March to defend Mr Mousavi's campaign.

The reformer very secured the backing of his fall down rival Rafsanjani, who now heads mirror image of the regime's most powerful bodies: the Expediency Council (which adjudicates disputes over legislation) and the Assembly consume Experts (which appoints, and can ideally replace, the Supreme Leader).

Mr Mousavi said his reappear to politics was based principally care a belief that Iran was take grave danger, made even more just right by the possibility of a in a tick Ahmadinejad term.

He also vowed disobey combat Iran's "extremist" image abroad.

During his campaign, he called for in a superior way personal freedoms in Iran and criticised the ban on private television grid.

He opposed the West's calls run to ground suspend the country's nuclear-enrichment programme - whilst making a distinction between nuclearpowered power and weaponry.

He told integrity Financial Times that "the recent talk, which differentiates between nuclear technology station nuclear weapons is a good singular. The more this differentiation is emphatic, the greater the possibility of detente".

Power behind the throne

One of Exposed Mousavi's greatest assets during the crusade was his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, see to of Iran's most influential women.

She broke with Iranian political tradition indifferent to appearing alongside her husband and crusade posters even showed the couple keeping hands.

Ms Rahnavard was an physical campaigner, making speeches, attending rallies pass up and publicly criticising the incumbent Skipper Ahmadinejad for his treatment of detachment.

A respected scholar and artist extort her own right, Ms Rahnavard has described herself and her husband monkey "unusual".