Mullah vs. Mullah

Ryan Mauro

The in-fighting inside the Iranian regime has become so intense that Ayatollah Khamenei has been forced to give a “serious warning” to the competing factions that they must reconcile. His intervention shows that the regime is now divided against itself and the Supreme Leader has become genuinely worried. It is encouraging to see the regime’s foundations shake, but Iran may now lash out in the hopes of solidifying its ranks against a common enemy. A series of internal rifts have compelled Ayatollah Khamenei to publicly discipline his government. The latest dispute surrounds a man named Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad’s son. Mashaie was chosen by the President to become Vice President but he was fired by Khamenei last summer. His appointment had caused outrage among hardliners disgusted that he once said that Iran’s conflict with Israel is limited to their government and that the country is a “friend” to the people. Ahmadinejad publicly defended Mashaie and then chose him as his chief of staff.

On August 6, Mashaie got into more trouble after he made comments that appeared to put Iranian nationalism above Shiite Islam. Prominent officials condemned him for allegedly harming the security of the country, essentially calling him a traitor. Two hundred members of parliament signed a letter demanding that he be fired. Ahmadinejad refused to back down and upped the stakes by appointing Mashaie as the special envoy for Middle Eastern affairs.

This follows another clash between Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Majiles (parliament) and Ahmadinejad. The two have been at odds over domestic policy for some time, with Larijani going so far as to say the country is being ruled by “extremism and delusion.” Their battle escalated when Ahmadinejad’s camp tried to take control of the privately-owned Azad University that is tied to Larijani’s camp, Ayatollah Rafsanjani and other opponents. During the public fight, Larijani called Ahmadinejad and his supporters “vicious, illogical and loudmouths” and Basiji members threatened to set the parliament on fire. Ultimately, the Majiles sided with Larijani.

Amil Imani, an Iranian dissident, told FrontPage that Larijani and other Iranian officials are sensing the rising anger against Ahmadinejad and are positioning themselves to gain politically.

“Ali Larijani and his older brother Mohammed Jawad have moved across the Iranian political spectrum… [they] were considered pillars of the moderate wing in the political spectrum, and the ease with which they changed sides and moved to the conservative bloc was perceived as a case of blatant political opportunism,” Imani said.

The pressure over human rights abuses is also causing a division. The parliament has reported that Saeed Mortazavi, the Prosecutor-General of Tehran during the summer 2009 uprising, was responsible for ordering the torture of at least 147 political prisoners and holding them in inhumane conditions. He and two other officials were blamed for the deaths of at least three specific protestors and were suspended. One of the victim’s attorneys argues that the report opens up the door for Mortazavi to be prosecuted, although it is unlikely Ahmadinejad and Khamenei would allow anything serious to happen to such a loyal servant. Already, Ahmadinejad has named him as the director of an anti-smuggling body.