TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state media says the Guardian Council has vetted candidates for next month's presidential election and will forward the final list to the Interior Ministry.

The IRNA news agency quoted Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei as saying the list will be sent on Thursday to the Interior Ministry, which will then publicly announce the names by Sunday.

He did not release any of the names of those who have been approved. Hundreds of people registered to run, including the current president, Hassan Rouhani, and former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Guardian Council is a clerical body, half of whose 12 members are appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The council rejects all candidates who are seen as challenging clerical rule.