Word: rafsanjani
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Iranians have been waiting for weeks to hear from former President Ayatullah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. At the height of the demonstrations on Tehran's streets, when hundreds of thousands of people called for a do-over of the June 12 presidential election officially won by incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many Iranians have wondered if Rafsanjani, one of the Islamic Republic's most powerful men and a leading supporter of defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, would mount a challenge to Ahmadinejad's main patron, the Supreme Leader Ayatullah Khamenei...
...when word spread that Rafsanjani would deliver the keynote address at Friday prayers July 17 at Tehran University, one of the country's highest-profile platforms, many opposition supporters hoped his speech would provide new impetus to the protest movement. Mousavi himself, rarely seen in public these days, attended the prayer service. Taking no chances, security forces deployed in force hours before the event, and authorities filled the prayer hall with government supporters. (See pictures of Iran's presidential election and its turbulent aftermath...
...though, the speech was more conciliatory than confrontational. Rafsanjani made several nods to opposition sentiment, acknowledging that the events of recent weeks constituted a "crisis" for the Islamic Republic. He also used strong terms to deplore the violence that broke out. But he praised the government's preparations for the election and said it occurred in an atmosphere of "healthy competition" and "unprecedented freedom...
...Though perhaps not the clarion call that the rank and file may have been hoping for, the notes of compromise struck by Rafsanjani made sense within the context of a power struggle at the apex of the Islamic Republic, according to Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council. "The phase we're in now is one where the different sides are trying to determine the rules by which they'll continue their political conflict," he says. "Remember, these guys are all in the same boat to some extent, all invested in the regime's survival. And if they...
...Rafsanjani's speech may even have been a smart move as far as his own career is concerned. "Rafsanjani very cleverly positioned himself as a unifying figure, emphasizing the need to bring everyone together," says Parsi. "That was an indirect attack on the Supreme Leader [Ayatullah Ali Khamenei], who has been widely accused of abusing his position by being so partisan in backing the Ahmadinejad faction. When the Supreme Leader is incapable of bringing about unity within the system, then anyone else who is capable of achieving that will strengthen his position relative to the Supreme Leader." (See pictures...