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Friday 11 December 2009 (24 Dhul Hijjah 1430)
Iran's Rafsanjani slammed for anti-regime comments
Reuters
TEHRAN: Iran's intelligence minister lashed out at former president Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani on Thursday, in comments underlining deep establishment
rifts in the Islamic Republic after its disputed June election.
Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi spoke three days after police
clashed in Tehran with opposition protesters seeking to renew their challenge
to the hard-line government.
Moslehi, quoted by the official IRNA news agency, said Rafsanjani
recently had stated that his views about post-election events had not changed.
"It is shocking to see that he repeats the same things as the leaders of
the recent riots say in their statements," he said, apparently referring to
Mousavi and fellow reformist Mehdi Karoubi, who have continued to voice
defiance over the election.
"Those who themselves are in crisis think the country is in crisis ...
but as an informed official I declare that there is no crisis in the country,"
Moslehi said. "Those who used to think they were on the safe side should know
... they can not victimize the intelligence forces for their own interests."
"Some people think that the recent unrest is only a dispute over the
election, but unfortunately ... some people unexpectedly stood against the
(Islamic system of government)," Moslehi said.
Rafsanjani chairs the 86-seat clerical Assembly of Experts, a clerical
body that supervises, appoints and can sack Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, although it is not known to ever have intervened in policy.
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