Rafsanjani criticizes Iran's political milieu

Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani

Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of Iran’s Assembly of Experts says that people’s judgement will save the Islamic Republic form the recent “character assassinations.”

ISNA reports that Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is also the Chairman of the Expediency Council gave a speech at the office of Islamic Republic Party at the threshold of the anniversary of the bombing of the party's office 29 years ago which killed tens of Islamic Republic top political figures at the time.

Ayatollah Rafsanjani told his audience that “the enemies have diversified and enemies disguised as friends have infiltrated our ranks.”

He described the current political atmosphere of the Islamic Republic saying that in this milieu “divisiveness is called honesty, insult is called candour, lies are called tact, slander is called boldness and slogans are called insight.”

The moderate cleric had told Communications Management monthly magazine last week that he is willing to retire from power.

Last June, the Chairman of the Assembly of Experts wrote an open letter to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, sharply criticizing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had previously accused the children of Ayatollah Rafsanjani of financial corruption in the presidential candidates’ debates with MirHosein Mousavi.

The Chairman of the Expediency Council has also been the target of attacks from Ahmadinejad supporters and some media analysts have suggested that he will soon be omitted from Iran’s political scene.

Ayatollah Rafsanjani has long been linked to the reform movement in Iran and in the post-election turmoil which ensued from protests to the alleged vote fraud in the victory of Ahmadinejad, Rafsanjani aligned himself with the opposition.

Dariush Ghanbari, a reformist Member of Parliament has condemned the continued media and government efforts to “destroy the image of Hashemi” and claims that if he resigns from power, it would be as a result of such “pressures.”