TEHERAN, Saturday, (Reuters) -A hardline editor seen as close to Iran's top authority accused former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani of backing “law-breakers,” highlighting deepening establishment divisions after a disputed election.
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| Supporters of the People's Mujaheddin of Iran (PMOI) demonstrate in front of the White House in Washington on Friday against the recent disputed elections in Iran. AFP |
Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the Kayhan daily, also criticised Rafsanjani, a powerful cleric and rival of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for saying in a sermon on Friday that the Islamic Republic was in crisis.
In apparent defiance of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Rafsanjani said many Iranians had doubts about the official result of the June 12 vote. He also took issue with the way the authorities had handled the poll and its aftermath.
As he led Friday prayers at Tehran University for the first time since the election, tens of thousands of protesters used the event to stage a huge show of dissent.
Clashes erupted near the university between police and followers of opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi, who came second and still contests the results that showed Ahmedinejad was re-elected by a wide margin.
The government has portrayed post-election mass protests last month as the work of local subversives, or “rioters”, and Western powers seeking to topple the Islamic establishment.
“Most certainly Mr Rafsanjani is familiar with the definition of a crisis ... The most meaningful word to describe the current conditions is a conspiracy,” Shariatmadari said in an editorial. He is seen as a close ally of Khamenei. |
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