The in-fighting inside the Iranian regime has become so intense that Ayatollah Khamenei has been forced to give a “serious warning” to the competing factions that they must reconcile. His intervention shows that the regime is now divided against itself and the Supreme Leader has become genuinely worried. It is encouraging to see the regime’s foundations shake, but Iran may now lash out in the hopes of solidifying its ranks against a common enemy.
A series of internal rifts have compelled Ayatollah Khamenei to publicly discipline his government. The latest dispute surrounds a man named Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad’s son. Mashaie was chosen by the President to become Vice President but he was fired by Khamenei last summer. His appointment had caused outrage among hardliners disgusted that he once said that Iran’s conflict with Israel is limited to their government and that the country is a “friend” to the people. Ahmadinejad publicly defended Mashaie and then chose him as his chief of staff.
On August 6, Mashaie got into more trouble after he made comments that appeared to put Iranian nationalism above Shiite Islam. Prominent officials condemned him for allegedly harming the security of the country, essentially calling him a traitor. Two hundred members of parliament signed a letter demanding that he be fired. Ahmadinejad refused to back down and upped the stakes by appointing Mashaie as the special envoy for Middle Eastern affairs.
This follows another clash between Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Majiles (parliament) and Ahmadinejad. The two have been at odds over domestic policy for some time, with Larijani going so far as to say the country is being ruled by “extremism and delusion.” Their battle escalated when Ahmadinejad’s camp tried to take control of the privately-owned Azad University that is tied to Larijani’s camp, Ayatollah Rafsanjani and other opponents. During the public fight, Larijani called Ahmadinejad and his supporters “vicious, illogical and loudmouths” and Basiji members threatened to set the parliament on fire. Ultimately, the Majiles sided with Larijani.
Amil Imani, an Iranian dissident, told FrontPage that Larijani and other Iranian officials are sensing the rising anger against Ahmadinejad and are positioning themselves to gain politically.
“Ali Larijani and his older brother Mohammed Jawad have moved across the Iranian political spectrum… [they] were considered pillars of the moderate wing in the political spectrum, and the ease with which they changed sides and moved to the conservative bloc was perceived as a case of blatant political opportunism,” Imani said.
The pressure over human rights abuses is also causing a division. The parliament has reported that Saeed Mortazavi, the Prosecutor-General of Tehran during the summer 2009 uprising, was responsible for ordering the torture of at least 147 political prisoners and holding them in inhumane conditions. He and two other officials were blamed for the deaths of at least three specific protestors and were suspended. One of the victim’s attorneys argues that the report opens up the door for Mortazavi to be prosecuted, although it is unlikely Ahmadinejad and Khamenei would allow anything serious to happen to such a loyal servant. Already, Ahmadinejad has named him as the director of an anti-smuggling body.
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People have been predicting the imminent collapse of the Islamic Republic since its inception 30 years ago. I'm not holding my breath.
Nonetheless, it needs to be reiterated: Obama's utter indifference to the fate of the demonstrators in last year's brutal crackdown was a grotesque betrayal of our democratic values. Regardless of whether or not the regime would have been overthrown, our place was by the side of the democracy advocates. All we needed to do was express our moral support. Instead, Obama remained mum and then, when events had gotten far ahead of him and he was receiving such criticism for his indifference, he went on record with a bland and qualified statement of "support" for the demonstrators.
Disgraceful!
I agree totally.
"Moral support " ????? FOR WHO . Both factions favor Israel's destruction . Man , can't anyone discuss ANY issue without bl;aming Obama for it ……this is childish !!
Oh gee , religious fanatics disagreeing , even killing one another …..Gee YA THINK ?
Grow up people !
The students and others who were protesting were protesting AGAINST the rhetoric coming out of Tehran against the jewish state. The average Iranian is concerned about rising costs of living and saber rattling by their government that is isolating the country from the world community.
That being said, yes, Obama is at fault for not showing any support for the demonstrators. You are pulling the idea that the opposition favors Israel's destruction from where you pull all your other liberal ideas, out your a**. Stop whining that people blame your savior for things he deserves blame for and actually work on facts. Once you get the facts about issues, you will no longer be a liberal because you people have never seen truth or facts that you like. " Liberals, always wrong, never in doubt ".
I don't "pull anything " , I suggest you acquaint yourself with the REASONS for the students protesting , and the actual position of the leader they support . Obama is NOT my "savior , that's just part of your parroted rhetoric . Nor is he the devil , or a serial killer , he's simply the choice of the elerctorate , and that is the bone that's stuck in youir throat . It is people of your political pusuasion that are doiung all thje whining ……suck it up , you'll get your chance in the election booth just like everyone else .
BTW , you have absolutely no idea of my political standing , other than exposing the childishness of some opinions , and most are in fact opinion , devoid of actual fact .
The democracy demonstrators in Iran were not necessarily pure, but If you are suggesting that they were no different – in their ethics and their goals – from the regime that was brutalizing them, then might I suggest your moral relativism has blinded you in your capacity to see and think objectively.
Obama got nothing for his official indifference. Iran continues to enrich uranium and will get the bomb because Obama will not act. Conflicts between different groups of Mullahs & Ahmadinejad does not mean the regime is in danger. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, crushed the election protests. He will do the same again. If need be, he can remove Ahmadinejad. Only if there were sanctions of gasoline imports would there be a chance of civil unrest. Then, if the army will not fire upon the protesters, that would lead to the fall of the Mullahs, just as it did the Shah.
Obama cannot support the opposition, which many risked their life and freedom, but he does support a dictator-in-waiting in Central America who wants to do a Chavez like revision of the constitution to stay in power. The anointed one is on the wrong side of everything and always errs on the side of tyranny. Boy, we really have a gem in the white house.
That's right pal , and he simply replaced the other "gem ": in office for 8 years , and in 2012 we'll no doubt get another "gem ' you can complain about . Funny Bush screws up the economy , and all the parrots of his pursuasion blame Clinton , now Obama gets in and all the parrots of his pursuasion blame Bush , so suck it up pally , you'll get your chance soon enough .Then you'll hear the same from them liberals .
Come and get me coppers!!!!! You"ze better treat me right pally, or I'm gonna show you my violin….
glad you have a sense of humor ….but you know it's true .
When the petrol money taps are shut down non muslims will be unforgiving in the bite back to islam. This will happen. Too many non-muslims will take the law into their own hands and will do what needs to be done. Islam will be on the run but will be hunted down and expunged from the planet. For this to happen iran has to have nuclear weapons first. When everything is in place their reactors will be their deaths in the millions. but the real clean-up will start outside Iran. Europe and Russia will lead the west and India and Australia will do the floor-wipe and all small islands and china will do it too. Right now there are muslims gathering in south America. let them gather. south Americans are merciless. they might be drug lords but they know evil is amongst them and will expunge it. The planet is fed up of this evil islamic nonsense cult. hence Iran has to get nuclear weapons !!!