Iran

On February 23, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the Assembly of Experts, lent his backing to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as he addressed the body. If he is sincere, this would be an important symbolic gesture given that Rafsanjani has been linked with the opposition Green Movement and has been touted as a potential challenger to the Supreme Leader himself. In referring to the February 11 rally to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Republic, Rafsanjani also stated that there had been an 'improvement of solidarity' in the country. Nonetheless, despite Rafsanjani's address, we believe that there

To read the full article, please choose one of the following options: