Hashemi Rafsanjani

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686 Hopefuls Vying to Replace Ahmadinejad

Rafsanjani enters race at last minute

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's time is nearly up and nearly 700 candidates are vying to replace him as president of Iran, CNN reports. Iranian authorities say 686 hopefuls have registered for the election next month—but all the candidates need to be vetted by the Guardian Council controlled by Supreme Leader...

Reformers Teargassed as Iran's Top Cleric Demands Change

(Newser) - Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former Iranian president and most powerful supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, addressed thousands of young reformists in green today in a highly anticipated sermon that may trigger further protests. The visibly upset cleric demanded that all political prisoners be freed and lamented that "we had...

Mousavi Will Attend Public Services Friday

(Newser) - Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi vowed not to let the blood of protesters killed in postelection crackdown go in vain as he met with the family of a young man shot to death during the turmoil, a reformist Web site reported today. He also announced that he will attend...

Mousavi's Options Dwindle as Time Ticks Away

Beaten on the streets, reformer takes uphill battle to the elite

(Newser) - The Iranian protest movement is running out of time and options as the regime continues its brutal crackdown, Time reports. Government forces have full control of the streets of Tehran, hundreds of political opponents are in jail, and Western journalists have been packed off. Mir Hossein Mousavi now has no...

Mousavi's Options Shrink as Crackdown Hardens

Battle for Iran moves from the streets to corridors of power

(Newser) - Two weeks after Iran's allegedly rigged presidential election, the regime's clampdown has hardened and left opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with few avenues for protest. The New York Times reports that shouts of "God is great" and "Death to the dictator" continue to echo at...

Iran Releases 4 Family Members of Former Prez

(Newser) - Iran is calm but tense today as police freed four family members of a former president and important Iranian cleric, the Los Angeles Times reports. But the oldest daughter of Hashemi Rafsanjani, a key backer of challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi, was not released by authorities in Tehran. Five members of Rafsanjani's...

Ayatollah Calls for Calm, Denies Ballot Fraud

'Zionists' and BBC are exploiting protests, Khamenei says

(Newser) - The supreme leader of Iran called for "peace and tranquility" in his first public speech since the contested presidential election, Al Jazeera reports. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defended the legitimacy of the vote and told protesters to stop, notes the New York Times. "Street challenge is not acceptable,"...

As Iran Unrest Goes On, Watch the Clerics
As Iran Unrest Goes On, Watch the Clerics
ANALYSIS
Jun 18, 2009 7:08 AM CDT

As Iran Unrest Goes On, Watch the Clerics

Mullahs far from Tehran may step in to end election dispute

(Newser) - As protesters continue to express anger and defy arrest, the endgame of Iran's disputed election may take place not in Tehran, but in the holy city of Qom—where the country's powerful clerics have so far kept silent. Except for a few prominent reformists, Iran's mullahs have refused to take...

Reformists May Try to Oust, Kill Ahmadinejad, Khamenei

Election 'coup' will turn bloody: source

(Newser) - The fallout from Friday’s Iranian presidential elections could turn bloody, with attempts to oust or even assassinate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and even the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a well-connected Iranian source tells Steve Clemons of the Washington Note. The election “coup by the right wing” has sparked a civil...

Ex-President Leads Charge Against Ahmadinejad

Rafsanjani behind scenes in Iran election

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s chief adversary in his reelection bid isn’t the candidate he’s trying to beat, it’s the candidate he beat 4 years ago, the New York Times reports. Ex-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been leading a massive behind-the-scenes effort on behalf of Ahmadinejad’s opponents...

Iran's Power Structure Baffles
Iran's Power Structure Baffles
Dec 31, 2007 1:25 PM CST

Iran's Power Structure Baffles

Clergy, bureaucrats, assorted elites wrestle for control

(Newser) - Since Iran’s autocratic shah fell in 1979, the question “Who runs Iran?” has stumped Western analysts. “Who doesn’t?” may be easier to grasp, reports the Los Angeles Times. Iran’s government has morphed into a free-for-all that includes the Shiite Muslim clergy, an entrenched bureaucracy, and...

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