DISSENT IN THE RANKS
Iran’s clerical establishment may have managed to weather last year’s Green Movement uprising intact. But today, there are growing signs of divisions among Iran’s ruling elites. Over the past several weeks, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has riled many by appointing a number of controversial allies to key foreign policy posts, and by deriding the impact of mounting international sanctions against the Islamic Republic. These steps have led senior public figures like former President (and current Assembly of Experts head) Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to openly criticize Ahmadinejad’s policies, reopening rifts in Iran's conservative political flank.
For his part, Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has backed Ahmadinejad and urged regime unity. Yet some say Khamenei’s plea is borne out of weakness, rather than strength. "The supreme leader is trying to preserve his own leadership and keep the initiative," according to one analyst in Tehran. "Other groups are concerned that Iran is approaching a point where Ahmadinejad and his security forces - both the IRGC and the Basij militias, who now control the country's economy - will make the supreme leader a puppet following their dictates." (Radio Free Europe, August 18, 2010;Reuters, September 14, 2010)
SCRAMBLING TO STOP SUBSIDIES
As international sanctions begin to bite, officials in Tehran are renewing their efforts to tighten the regime’s economic belt. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reportedly asked the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to “seriously apply” its long-running but unrealized plan for eliminating domestic economic subsidies on energy-related products, such as gasoline — an effort that, if implemented, is expected to save the regime as much as $100 million annually. "The people have embraced you for slogans such as those seeking justice, adherence to religion and fighting arrogance," Khamenei has told Ahmadinajad. "Thus, you should attempt to maintain these policies with determination and intensity." Under current projections, the Iranian government will begin to further reduce economic entitlements beginning in late September. (Agence France Presse, August 31, 2010)
IRAN’S ANTI-FAMILY BILL FAILS TO PASS MUSTER
A controversial law that would have further restricted the rights of Iranian women has been voted down by parliament, at least for now. Iran’s majles has rejected three articles of a “family protection” bill championed by regime hardliners. "According to the notification of the lawmakers and in consultation with the judiciary branch, seemingly the articles 22, 23 and 24 contain some Islamic shortcomings," parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani has told reporters. "Therefore, they will be returned to legal and judiciary commission to be corrected." Among the provisions that have generated friction with reformist politicians and rights advocates is a stipulation permitting polygamy by allowing men to marry a second wife without securing the consent of the first. (Los Angeles Times, August 30, 2010)
IRAN HEARTS THE AKP
The Islamic Republic is dipping its toe into the fractious politics of neighboring Turkey. The Iranian regime has reportedly pledged $25 million to Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The promise, negotiated between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad concurrent with the passage of a referendum, orchestrated by the AKP, which significantly amended the Turkish constitution. Under the terms of the deal, Iran is said to have committed to providing the AKP with $12 million in support of Erdogan’s reelection campaign, with additional payments of as much as $13 million more forthcoming. (London Telegraph, September 14, 2010)
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