Iran corruption claims stoke political infighting
BRIAN MURPHY
Associated Press
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FILE - In this
file photo of Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009,
Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza
Rahimi, right, accompanies President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his departure
ceremony as he leaves Tehran's Mehrabad
airport for Copenhagen to attend the
U.N. Climate Summit. The allegations in
Tehran aim highIran's top-ranked vice
president facing charges of high-level
corruption that could force him to stand
trial. But it's the fallout that could
prove most stinging for President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The claims _
hitting one of Ahmadinejad's most
trusted political partners _ hold the
potential for serious mudslinging that
could blast open the rivalries within
the president's conservative camp. (AP
Photo/Vahid Salemi, file) |
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Corruption
charges against one of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's most trusted
political advisers provided the latest evidence of deep
rifts within the Iranian president's own conservative
political camp.
The challenge by Ahmadinejad's rivals — one of them the
head of the judiciary — could set the tone for a bitter fight leading up
to the next big political moment in Iran, parliamentary elections less
than a year away.
"This case isn't going to bring down Ahmadinejad, but
it may get very ugly," said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a regional political
analyst at Emirates University. "It's a commentary on the troubled state
of Iranian politics at the moment."
Ahmadinejad has faced a growing internal backlash from
conservative leaders — including influential parliament speaker Ali
Larijani. They are upset by the president's combative nature and
deepening links with the vast military-economic network run by the
Revolutionary Guard, Iran's most powerful force which led the crackdown
on the reformist movement after Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election last
year.
The political infighting escalated earlier this month
when Ahmadinejad suddenly dismissed his longtime foreign minister,
Manouchehr Mottaki, a close ally of Larijani. Many lawmakers and others
denounced the move as further evidence of Ahmadinejad's steamrolling
style. He dumped Mottaki in apparent retaliation for disagreements that
included control over foreign ministry posts.
Shortly after Mottaki's firing, the judiciary headed by
Larijani's brother announced the corruption allegations against First
Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi.
The charges could do more damage to Ahmadinejad and the
reputation he has cultivated as aloof from Iran's powerful financial
clans and foundations, many run by the Revolutionary Guard.
The developments revealed the increasingly complex
political maneuvering within the Islamic Republic as it struggles with
economic sanctions and growing international pressure to curb its
production of nuclear fuel.
The judiciary last week said Rahimi is facing
corruption charges that need to be investigated and will have to stand
trial. The details of the accusations against him have not been made
public since. Rahimi quickly denied the charges and was expected to
present his side at a news conference, possibly later this week.
On Monday, Ahmadinejad's office came to Rahimi's
defense, saying that his complaints against the accusations should be
investigated, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
But the rumblings have been coming for months against
Rahimi, whose position as the top of 12 vice presidents gives him
authority to meet visiting prime ministers and other dignitaries and
lead Cabinet meetings in Ahmadinejad's absence.
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In this picture taken on Tuesday, Oct.
27, 2009, Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, waits for
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for an official
welcoming ceremony for him at the presidency in Tehran, Iran.
The allegations in Tehran aim highIran's top-ranked vice
president facing charges of high-level corruption that could
force him to stand trial. But it's the fallout that could prove
most stinging for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The claims _
hitting one of Ahmadinejad's most trusted political partners _
hold the potential for serious mudslinging that could blast open
the rivalries within the president's conservative camp. (AP
Photo/Vahid Salemi) |
Some of Ahmadinejad's political foes have frequently
taken pot shots at Rahimi with allegations of financial misdeeds since a
major government-linked embezzlement probe opened in April. At the time,
conservative lawmaker Elias Naderan calling Rahimi the "leader of the
corruption circle."
Now, a full-scale investigation and possible trial
could become a high-stakes proxy clash between Ahmadinejad and Larijani
and his backers, who include his brother, judiciary chief Ayatollah
Sadeq Larijani.
The immediate battles may be sporadic because all of
Iran's political establishment is currently engrossed in painful steps
to trim government subsidies, which has already pushed fuel prices up to
400 percent higher.
The economic shock has brought waves of complaints
against the government from all sides. Reformists have claimed the
billions saved on subsidies will be funneled back to help boost
Ahmadinejad and the Revolutionary Guard. Even some hard-liners —
Ahmadinejad's political base — have said the price hikes are too fast
and too steep.
The rifts point to the next big political test in Iran
— parliamentary elections in early 2012. The races will mark the first
major balloting since the accusations of vote-rigging after
Ahmadinejad's June 2009 victory plunged Iran into its worst internal
chaos since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
It's still uncertain whether the opposition movement
can rebound in some form for the parliamentary campaign. But there's
little doubt that Larijani and his allies will make a run.
A strong showing would have the twin effect of
embarrassing Ahmadinejad and sending a message to the ruling clerics,
who have the final word on the candidates for the 2013 presidential
election to replace lame duck Ahmadinejad.
"It is unlikely the (Rahimi) dispute will have
particular repercussions in the short term," said Hamid Reza Shokouhi, a
political analyst in Tehran. "But its impact will be seen in the next
parliamentary elections."
It does, however, show Ahmadinejad's shrinking
political coterie.
"Supporters of Ahmadinejad are ... a limited group
now," said Shokouhi.
But still a very formidable one.
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In this picture taken on Thursday, April
22, 2010, Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, makes his
way, at the Tehran's Mehrabad airport, Iran. The allegations in
Tehran aim highIran's top-ranked vice president facing charges
of high-level corruption that could force him to stand trial.
But it's the fallout that could prove most stinging for
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The claims _ hitting one of
Ahmadinejad's most trusted political partners _ hold the
potential for serious mudslinging that could blast open the
rivalries within the president's conservative camp. (AP
Photo/Vahid Salemi) |
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Ahmadinejad continues to enjoy support from the two
most potent forces in Iran: the Revolutionary Guard and Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who controls the theocracy and its almost
limitless powers.
This has been enough to intimidate Ahmadinejad's
opponents from going too far. The lines, however, keep shifting in favor
of bolder political challenges.
On Sunday, former foreign minister Mottaki was praised
in a statement by 260 parliament members — all but 30 — in a direct slap
against Ahmadinejad. Last month, dozens of lawmakers signed a petition
seeking bring Ahmadinejad into the chamber for questioning over
complaints including fiscal mismanagement.
The effort apparently sputtered before getting enough
signatures, but it reinforced the sense that Ahmadinejad can be
pressured openly without facing the wrath of the supreme leader.
"The fact that Rahimi is being attacked so publicly by
conservatives — and even some hard-liners — suggests the political
temperature is heating up," said Shadi Hamid, a researcher on Gulf
affairs at The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar.
A showdown over Rahimi could also feed into the claims
that Ahmadinejad is increasingly embattled and trying to surround
himself with staunch loyalists.
Rahimi was appointed as one of Iran's 12 vice
presidents in 2005 and rose to the top spot last year. He has taken part
in sensitive political meetings, such as visits by Chinese officials.
Last summer, he called the U.S. dollar and euro "dirty"
after Iran threatened to stop selling oil in the currencies to protest
economic sanctions. He also called Australians "a bunch of cattlemen"
and said South Korea "needed to be slapped" after both nations backed
sanctions.
———
Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran
contributed to this report.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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