TEHRAN (Reuters) - Former President Mohammad Khatami, who pushed for detente with the West when in office from 1997 to 2005, said on Sunday he would run in Iran's June presidential election.
The announcement sets up a choice for voters between Khatami and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose first four-year term have witnessed a sharp deterioration in ties with the West as tensions over Iran's nuclear work have mounted.
"Here I am announcing that I will seriously take part as a candidate for the election," Khatami told a meeting of pro- reform politicians.
The election is being keenly watched abroad because U.S. President Barack Obama has offered a new U.S. approach to engage Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, saying he would extend a hand of peace if Tehran would "unclench its fist."
Some analysts say Washington may wait until the June result before spelling out any offer in detail. Iran, meanwhile, has set tough conditions for opening any dialogue, a move seen as a bid to buy time in part because of the pending election.
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