TEHRAN: Iran's constitutional watchdog, the hard-line Guardian Council, has reversed a ban on 1,500 candidates who had registered to run in Feb. 26 parliamentary elections.

State TV on Saturday said that says a list of approved candidates has been conveyed to Iran's Interior Ministry.

The council, which is responsible for vetting candidates, had disqualified a large number of moderates, but it's not clear how many of the approved candidates are considered to be reformists.

Nine moderate parties issued a statement last month complaining that only 30 of the 3,000 reformist candidates fielded across the country were allowed to run.

The upcoming vote is seen as a showdown between hard-liners and moderates, who hope for a boost in the wake of the newly implemented nuclear deal and the lifting of international sanctions.