What US policymakers can learn about Iran from the life and death of Rafsanjani
TThis article first appeared on the London School of Economics Middle East Centre Blog. On the eve of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani’s death, he was no longer a hardliner. But he wasn’t a reformist either. Many Western newspapers described him as ‘Iran’s ex-president’ in their elegies of him but his legacy dwarfs that characterisation. US policymakers […]
Iran’s Hardliners Continue Splitting
Tensions are boiling in Iran’s parliament over the government’s demand to take control over the assets of Azad University, which amounts to over $200 billion. This feud between the parliament and Ahmadinejad’s administration reflects the ongoing battles between the camps of Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad. (Azad University was one of the most successful pet projects and […]
Why Rafsanjani is so important for the Greens
Six months ago in Mashad, Iran, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani delivered a speech to a group of Iranian student activists saying: “If people want us, we will govern; and if they don’t, we will have to go.” This might have seemed like nothing new, but it wasn’t coming from just anyone — it was said by […]
Rafsanjani: National Healer?
As one of the main pillars of power in the Islamic establishment, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani played a significant role in what became the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979. Depending on one’s political affiliation, Rafsanjani to this day is still either highly respected or highly feared in the internal political circles of Iran. Rafsanjani 75, a […]
“If they do not accept you, you do not force them to — and you leave.”
In July, much of the discussion revolved around the role Rafsanjani might play in a national reconciliation bid. Since the violence this past weekend, editorial pages are abuzz about the possibility that the regime might soon topple, but few have taken the time to question how such monumental changes might actually occur within Iran’s political […]
Today’s Headlines from Payvand (via Radio Zamaneh)
Tehran University Students Invite Opposition Leaders to Student Day Over three thousand students of Tehran University have signed a petition inviting opposition leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, to attend Day of the Student ceremonies at their institution on December 7. The students urge the two opposition leaders to renew their protests to the […]
Rafsanjani’s clever call for Qods Day rallies
According to the pro-Mousavi website Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani has artfully called for mass demonstrations of people on the occasion of International Qods Day. In his declaration, Rafsanjani asks Iranians to show solidarity with Palestinians by coming to the streets and rallying to their cause. While the declaration makes no mention of the […]
The Campaign Against Rafsanjani
The latest analysis by Persia House, Booz Allen Hamilton’s Iran shop, is out. It has an interesting analysis of the campaign against Rafsanjani, the powerful head of both the Expediency Council and Assembly of Experts. Persia House reviews the attacks by Ahmadinejad and his hardline supporters dating back to 2005 before analyzing the current situation: In […]
Ahmadinejad calls for prosecution of opposition leaders
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the prosecution of opposition leaders on Friday, stating that the activists currently on trial in Tehran should not be the only ones punished. More from AP via NY Times: “Serious confrontation has to be against the leaders and key elements, against those who organized and provoked (the riots) and carried […]
EA: “The Regime’s Knockout Punch? Not Quite.”
Enduring America has an interesting analysis of yesterday’s events. Here’s a key part: By the afternoon, Rafsanjani’s office was being less subtle. Mehdi Hashemi continued to declare his innocence and then turned “corruption” against Ahmadinejad, declaring that the President, as Mayor of Tehran, had “lost” millions of dollars. More importantly, I suspect, the Rafsanjani camp […]
Rafsanjani did not back down – His party supports Karroubi
Initial reports claiming Rafsanjani has fallen in line with Khamenei today have been taken out of context. Javan-e Farda reports that Rafsanjani’s party (Executives of Construction) has declared its full support for Mehdi Karroubi. By throwing his party’s support behind Karroubi, Rafsanjani shows indirectly that he will not back down from supporting the opposition. Javan-e […]
Rafsanjani voices support for Khamenei
AFP has the story: Powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani urged Iran’s warring political groups on Saturday to follow the orders of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for ending the present political turmoil. In his first such statement in direct support of Khamenei since the June 12 election, the former president said “the current situation needs […]