President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at his chief political rivals on Friday, calling on judiciary officials to “decisively” and “mercilessly” prosecute them for challenging the legitimacy of his electoral victory and tarnishing the image of the state.
The president’s remarks, in a speech prior to the nationally broadcast Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran, underscored the grim reality of a nation whose political factions are deeply divided, hostile and exhibiting no appetite for common ground or compromise.
“I honestly believe the cracks in the leadership are so severe, I don’t think they will be able to heal this,” said Abbas Milani, director of Iranian studies at Stanford University and a sharp critic of the Islamic leadership. Mr. Ahmadinejad spoke in front of thousands of government supporters gathered in an outdoor covered arena at Tehran University. The president appeared unafraid to effectively contradict the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who on Wednesday said he was not convinced the reform leaders had conspired in advance with foreign forces to orchestrate the post-election unrest. He did, however, stick by the government’s claim that the protests were planned from abroad.
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