Clerics

Behnam Gholipour

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei seems to believe the Islamic Republic of Iran is more isolated in the world than ever.

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Rasool Nafisi

While Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was touring the UN last week, delivering acerbic speeches and giving interviews, back home in the Iranian parliament questions were raised not about Ahmadinejad himself, but about the institution of the presidency in total, and whether there is a need for a president alongside the Supreme Leader’s office.
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Shayan Ghajar

On July 25, one of Iran’s most prominent dissident clerics, Grand Ayatollah Ali-Mohammad Dastgheib, issued a lengthy statement condemning the current political atmosphere in Iran and urging non-participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The Grand Ayatollah, known for his outspoken criticism of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, also called for oversight of Khamenei’s position, as stipulated in the Iranian Constitution. On July 26, another prominent dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani, spoke out against political detentions, deeming them prohibited according to Islamic law. more»

Geneive Abdo

This article was first published in Foreign Policy Magazine.

A long-brewing power struggle recently burst into public view over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s decision last month to dismiss Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi. The ensuing power struggle between Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has left the Iranian president deeply weakened and revealed many useful lessons about the closed and convoluted political workings of the Islamic Republic. more»

Ashkan Parsa

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is under an unprecedented wave of attacks. Ironically, his fiercest critics are his once die-hard supporters who backed him during the controversial 2009 presidential election. The new fight that has erupted among hardliners and conservatives alike is not about the poor state of the economy, nor is it about Iran’s international isolation. Rather, it is about who can take a bigger slice of the pie of power in Iran among the Islamic Republic’s greatest loyalists. more»