Former parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karoubi said he would be a candidate in the June 2009 election.

"After a lot of negotiations and consultations I announce my readiness to compete in the election," the Isna news agency quoted him as saying.

Karoubi’s candidacy would provide a challenge to conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is widely expected to seek a second four-year term.

Reformists seeking political and social change have criticised Ahmadinejad over his failure to rein in climbing double-digit inflation.

Agencies