Iran: Ayatollah Montazeri Clashes With Ayatollah Khamenei

This is a very significant turn of events considering that Grand Ayatollah Montazeri (see photo) is not just any Ayatollah. He was once considered as a likely successor of late Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, to become Iran’s Supreme Leader.

On Wednesday, he said that the ruling system under Ayatollah Khamenei has misused Islam, and that the crackdown against the reformist supporters was despotic in nature. Montazeri posted the following statement on his website:

“The biggest oppression is the despotic treatment of the people in the name of Islam. I hope the responsible authorities give up the deviant path they are pursuing and restore the trampled rights of the people. I hope authorities have the courage to announce that this ruling system is neither a Republic nor Islamic, and that nobody has the right to suppress opinion or criticism.”

Meanwhile, in a strange shift which could be either a sign of compromise or an attempt to save his own future as Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei backtracked on previous allegations made by the hardliners. He stated that he did not believe the opposition leaders were backed by foreign states.

Iran’s state controlled TV station quoted Khamenei as saying: “I do not accuse the leaders of recent events as being the agents of foreigners, including America & Britain, because it has not been proven to me.” Khamenei then added, in obvious contradiction with the first part of his statement:”But there is no doubt that this movement, whether its leaders knew it or not, was planned in advance.”

From mid-June to now, the battle for the control of Iran has moved from violent clashes in the streets to a battle between top clerics. Ahmadinejad is not much more than a pawn in the fights between the Ayatollahs, and Khamenei may have to sacrifice him, down the line, to save his own status as Iran’s Supreme Leader.