Ahmadinejad Denies Rift with Khamenei

Flaying critics, Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denied any rift with the supreme leader and said that he was like a father.

It may be mentioned that Ahmadinejad government has been attempting to ward off a big challenge from opposition which persists with its charge that June 12 elections were rigged and the current government is illegitimate.

Lately, conservatives developed doubt about Ahmadinejad’s allegiance to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei due to a dispute arisen out of a controversy over vice president Ahmadinejad appointed two weeks ago.

Hard-liners were outraged by the appointment of Esfandiar Rahim Mashai because he once made comments saying Iranians and Israelis were friends.

Khamenei ordered the dismissal of the vice president, but Ahmadinejad stalled for days, trying to keep Mashai, who is his in-law and a close associate. His defiance further goaded hard-liners. The president finally obeyed the dismissal order, but he promptly appointed Mashai as his chief of staff.

In a speech Friday in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Ahmadinejad said, “some in recent days have portrayed the relationship between the leader and the administration as in doubt, they tried to imply distance and rift.”

“What they do not understand is that the relationship between us and the supreme leader goes beyond politics and administration. It is based on kindness, on ideology, it is like that of a father and son,” he said in the speech, parts of which were aired on state TV.

He said that the attempts by “ill-wishers” would yield no results, adding, “this path with be shut in the face of devils.”