Word: clerical
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...take over. At this point, it is unclear what impact his alleged role in the U.S.-Iran arms deal will have on the succession. "It's a time bomb ticking away," says one diplomat. While Iran's council of experts designated Ayatullah Hussein Ali Montazeri, 64, the senior cleric from Qum, as the formal successor, Khomeini has yet to approve the recommendation. Western diplomats say Rafsanjani has the political ability to outmaneuver Montazeri. Regardless of who the next Iranian leader will be, it is not expected that he will change Khomeini's policies or halt the war. One Iranian shrugged...
...hostages alive seems to be coming from all sides. The Revolutionary Justice Organization, which is composed of Shi'ite Muslim extremists, postponed plans last week to execute French Television Engineer Jean-Louis Normandin. The group had been warned not to kill him by both Syria and Shi'ite Muslim Cleric Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, the spiritual leader of the pro-Iranian Hizballah (Party of God). Said Fadlallah: "You cannot confront the policy of the French President by executing a kidnap victim...
...million West Germans watched, a solemn Ayatullah Khomeini opened his arms to address a crowd of the faithful. The aged cleric was met by a hearty * round of . . . panties and bras tossed his way by impassioned women admirers. The 14-second TV skit, part of a popular satirical review, irked at least one viewer: Mohammed Javad Salari, Iran's ambassador to Bonn, who denounced the spoof as "insulting." Within days, Tehran had expelled two West German diplomats, closed down its consulates in West Germany for 24 hours and demanded an apology from the Bonn government...
...evidence suggests that the aging Ayatollah continues to solicit views from a variety of cleric and non-cleric representatives of political institutions and even some cleric outside the government, notably his son, Ahmed. When the Imam feels strongly about an issue, he makes the ultimate decision, which is binding on all, regardless of the advice of some or even all his aides. When he does not, he may delegate limited authority to others, as in the case of the 1981 U.S. hostage crisis, where he let the legislature resolve the matter...
Ayatullah Hussein Ali Montazeri, 64. One of Iran's most revered holy men, Montazeri has ties to Khomeini that go back more than 40 years, to the time when Montazeri was a student of the revolutionary cleric in the holy city of Qum. A year ago, Montazeri was designated Khomeini's successor as spiritual leader of Iran. His clout is already substantial. He appoints members of the Supreme Judicial Council, Iran's highest court, and is the "supreme guide" for the country's universities and seminaries. Other leaders, though, have recently been intriguing to curb his growing influence...