Former President Mohammad Khatami, who pushed for détente with the West when in office from 1997 to 2005, said Sunday that he would run in Iran's presidential election in June.
"I strongly announce my candidacy in the elections," Khatami told reporters after he held talks with an association of moderate clerics.
"I never had doubt. Is it possible to remain indifferent toward the revolution's fate and shy away from running in the elections?" he asked.
"I consider this as a right to run ... This candidacy doesn't deprive others and the path is open. What should be stressed is that the elections must be held freely."
Khatami, 65, was president of Iran between 1997 and 2005.
He was succeeded by President Ahmadinejad, a hardliner who is set to stand again and has reportedly received the blessing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khatami said it was important "to think about the fate of the nation and its long-time desire to be proud, free and to progress and reach justice."
"I hope I can take steps to remove the people's problems and also enhance their position in the world."
The announcement set up a choice for voters between Khatami and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose first four-year term has seen a sharp deterioration in ties with the West as tensions over Iran's nuclear work have mounted.
The election is being keenly watched abroad because 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 election.
The foes have not had diplomatic ties since shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
The vote will not determine policy in the Islamic Republic, whose supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has the final say. But the president can influence how Iran acts as Khamenei tends to look for consensus among the political elite, analysts say.
"People feel the need for change because of Ahmadinejad's foreign policy and economic policies," said Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a vice president under Khatami and a close political ally. "Therefore we think people will vote for Khatami, for change. With Khatami running, the election will be polarized."
Ahmadinejad has faced mounting criticism over his economic management and surging inflation, which climbed to almost 30 percent last year. Reformists, in particular, say his fiery foreign policy speeches have further isolated Iran.
The West accuses Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons, a charge that Tehran denies, insisting that its aim is to generate electricity. But Iran's failure to convince world powers about its intentions has led to three rounds of United Nations sanctions.
Khatami worked for détente abroad and for political and social change at home while president. But hard-liners in charge of major levers of power in the Islamic Republic blocked many of his reforms, costing Khatami some key supporters.
Ahmadinejad, who an aide said in January would run again, came to office pledging a fairer distribution of Iran's oil wealth and a return to Islamic revolutionary values.
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