Posted on 02/18/2009 9:52:20 PM PST by Ooh-Ah
Pro-Ahmadinejad comments seen as veiled threat
Iran's most influential pro-regime newspaper has warned the country's reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami, that he risks being assassinated like the late Pakistani political leader, Benazir Bhutto, if he stands in the forthcoming presidential election.
The warning from Keyhan ‑ a supporter of the radical president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ‑ is being seen as a thinly-veiled threat by hardliners that they will resort to violence to prevent Khatami winning June's poll.
Khatami, who held the presidency between 1997 and 2005, announced his candidacy last week, prompting expectations of a bitterly-fought contest with Ahmadinejad. Analysts have predicted that a re-elected Khatami would ease many Islamic restrictions and would be more likely to respond positively to US attempts at engaging with Iran, as promised by Barack Obama.
But in an editorial by its editor-in-chief, Hossein Shariatmadari, the newspaper suggested that Khatami's aim was to serve western interests by "changing and remaking" Iran's theocratic system. It compared him to Bhutto, whose 2007 assassination at an election rally, it implied, was ordered by the US.
...
"In Pakistan, the Americans initially tried very hard to bring Benazir Bhutto to power through propaganda and diplomacy, and to control Pakistan through her, but they adopted a different method when they realised that her party was completely incapable of winning majority seats. This is an enlightening experience."
...
Saeed Leylaz, a Tehran-based analyst, said ... "I worry that radicals will try to convince Mr Khatami not to participate by carrying out one or two terrorist attacks in the country. It could be not just he who is under threat, but people close to him. Radicals really can't bear to see anyone else other than Mr Ahmadinejad as president."
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Are the powers that be in Tehran laying the groundwork for killing Khatami, and blaming it on us?
Of course. What else is new in that (and every other) Islamic insane asylum?
Newspaper threatens Khatami with assassination
Revolution in Zahedan
Wow. Good thing Obama announced dropping the sanctions againt Iran. They’re behaving much better now.
This is the same murderous, terrorist-exporting, OPEC-financed, Shi’ite-Islamic régime Obama wants to have diplomatic level talks....
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