Ultra-conservative cleric Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi announced that he still supports Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, despite the president's recent disputes with the Islamic Republic's conservative elite.
In a sign of reconciliation between Ahmadinejad and Iran's conservative elite, Mehr News agency reported that Ayatollah Mohammadtaghi Mesbah Yazdi, a powerful cleric in Qom's seminary and one of the principle theorists of the Principalists, announced that he still stands behind the president.
Referring to his endorsement of Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential election, Yazdi said: "At that time, Ahmadinejad had to be supported against his opponents, and my support of him was an affirmation of the slogans and principles of the Islamic Revolution."
Ahmadinejad's victory in the 2009 presidential election was challenged by Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, his reformist opponents.
Ayatollah Yazdi added: "I still believe in Ahmadinejad and support him."
These statements come after the senior cleric harshly criticized Ahmadinejad in May, suggesting that the president's actions were "illogical and erratic" and bore the signs of "someone who was under a spell and not in control of his faculties."
The criticisms came after Ahmadinejad shunned public duties for more than 10 days because Iran's Supreme Leader overturned the president's decision to change his Minister of Intelligence. Following that episode, members of the president's office became the target of repeated attacks by the Principalists. His chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, was deemed to be the leader of a "deviant current" trying to derail the Islamic Republic.
Several of Ahmadinejad's allies have been arrested in recent months, which he finally protested, calling the arrests political and warning that the judiciary should not cross a red line and arrest members of his cabinet, or else he would reveal secrets that would be harmful to all.
However, the spokesman for the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has said that the course of justice will not be stopped by any red lines.
source: Radio Zamaneh
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Russia has introduced a "step by step" plan to encourage Iran to answer the questions posed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Reuters reports that on July 13, Lavrov, who is currently in Washington, told a joint press conference with U.S. Foreign Secretary Hilary Clinton that the plan has been presented to China and the U.S.
The news conference was held after a meeting between Lavrov, Clinton and U.S. President Barack Obama.
Lavrov explained that the IAEA will begin with the "simplest" questions and then proceed to the more complicated questions that require greater time for response.
Iranian authorities have not yet reacted to the statements of the Russian foreign minister.
After his latest meeting with the IAEA chief, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called for a more "creative method" of interacting with IAEA. He also says the agency must acknowledge that Iran has already responded to all the questions regarding its nuclear program, a request that was denied by Yukiya Amano, the head of the IAEA.
Amano announced early last month that he has been presented with new evidence that points toward possible military components in Iran's nuclear program.
Iran has repeatedly denied any nuclear military objectives and insists that all its atomic activities are directed toward energy production.
Lavrov said yesterday that if the G5+1 agrees to Russia's proposal, at every stage of questioning, in acknowledgment of Iran's cooperation, "mutual actions" will be taken such as lifting international sanctions and reducing punitive measures.
Hilary Clinton has announced that U.S. experts are currently reviewing the Russian proposal, insisting that the U.S. remains committed to its Iranian policy of negotiation and sanctions but it will also consider other potentially more effective strategies.
source: Radio Zamaneh
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