Another power struggle is going on in Iran and its not reformist politicians against the hard-line political establishment. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has maintained his choice of Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaii as first vice president over the objections of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Rahim-Mashaii upset hard-line clerics and politicians in 2008 by stating that Iranians were “friends of all people in the world — even Israelis”. Rahim-Mashaii’s daughter is also married to Ahmadinejad’s son.
In a letter dated July 18th, Ayatollah Khamenei asked Ahmadinejad not to appoint Rahim-Mashaii as the first vice president. The letter stated that it is not in the interests of the government and will cause “rift and disappointment” among the supporters of the president. As reported in this Tehran Times’ article, members of the Iranian Parliament have also expressed strong sentiments against Rahim-Mashaii. Ahmadinejad, however, has asked for “time and another opportunity to fully explain my real feelings and assessment about Mr. Mashaii.”
The direct involvement of Ayatollah Khamenei in asking for removal of a top official is also very significant. According to the Associated Press:
“His (Ayatollah Khamenei) order for Mashai’s removal was an unprecedented extension of his powers. The supreme leader is believed often to informally vet top government appointments behind the scenes, but he does not have a formal role in approving them or an official power to remove them. Even under Iran’s pro-reform government from 1997-2005, which Khamenei is believed to have opposed, he never overtly ousted any of its officials.”
“In his first term, Ahmadinejad had several tussles with his own hard-line camp over appointments, some of whom were seen as not qualified for their posts. In most cases, Khamenei stayed on the sidelines of those disputes.”
It seems like that Ayatollah Khamenei is no longer the man working behind the scene.
