RULING IRANIAN CONSERVATIVES ON THE BRINK OF EXPLOSION

Iran Press Service:

TEHRAN, 12 Aug. (IPS) As the new Iranian President is reported to present his cabinet next week, serious cracks start to show in the façade on the ruling conservatives, with the former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani criticizing openly hard line Ansar Hezbollah for having accused past Iranian governments of “not being Islamic”.

“Those who make such statements are ignorant, do not understand anything and are not good Muslims”, the Chairman of the Expediency Council told worshippers during the traditional Friday prayers, referring to a long statement by the Ansar urging Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to “revert” to “real Islamic values ignored by precedent governments”, meaning those of Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami and Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Alongside the Ansar Hezbollah, a semi militia organization controlled by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the powerful Council of the Guardians, some other ultra-Islamic groups have also made similar demands from Mr. Ahmadinejad, a faithful Muslim in the line of Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i, the orthodox leader of the Islamic Republic.

“Sometime, a few hypocrites who were also present in the household of the prophet try to give bad name and image to the majority of Muslims”, the former president who was defeated at the last presidential elections at the hands of Mr. Ahmadinejad charged.

Entitled “New time and new responsibilities”, the Ansar Hezbollah said in its statement: ”Wounded revisionists and hypocrites who were defeated by Mr. Ahmadinejad and had their dens in the past governments during 16 years can make a comeback to revenge the humiliation they suffered, therefore, they must be dealt with by true soldiers of Islam”.

“These people claim Islam was not the religion of past governments. Actually, one can doubt if they are working for the interest of Islam or the enemies of Islam. What they do is a betrayal of the Islamic revolution and its ideals and servants”, Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani responded.

Besides Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, several other known hard line conservative figures also criticized the Ansar for their harsh statement.

According to Iranian political analysts, the charges by the Ansar and the counter-charges from Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani shows the difficulties Mr. Ahmadinezjad would face in the domestic front, while, on the international scene, he was handed over the “explosive” nuclear problem. ENDS CONSERVATIVES DIVIDED 12805