Posted on 06/20/2009 3:46:00 PM PDT by giotto
By HAMZA HENDAWI – 51 minutes ago
CAIRO (AP) — One of Iran's most powerful men may be playing a key role behind closed doors in the country's escalating postelection crisis.
Former president and influential cleric Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani has made no public comment since Iran erupted into confrontation between backers of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reformists who claim he stole re-election through fraud.
But Iranian TV has shown pictures of Rafsanjani's daughter, Faezeh Hashemi, speaking to hundreds of opposition supporters. And Rafsanjani, who has made no secret of his distaste for Ahmadinejad, was conspicuously absent from an address by the country's supreme leader calling for national unity and siding with the president.
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‘Rafsanjani’
Coolest name ever. He needs to watch his back, because he may not be long for this world; his daughter, too. :(
CNN just showed videos of clashes between protesters and Basiji/Riot Police, ..In the cities of Shiraz and Esfahan!!!!!
There are reports that he had a meeting with one of Sistani’s people in Qom.
But Rafsanjani is no Sistani - he’s a shrewd, murdering, opportunist
“He needs to watch his back,”
He needs to be hung
Rafsanjani bears watching at all times...He’s better than some, but I wouldn’t want to invite him over to meet the family.
Ah...my mistake. I thought he was against Ama-Nutjob? But he’s just another Ama-Nutjob in a long line of them?
The Wikipedia article about him says he holds the position of “Chairman of the Assembly of Experts[2] (a deliberative body of Mujtahids that is charged with electing, monitoring, and dismissing the Supreme Leader of Iran).” He is also reputedly one of the world’s richest men. He probably can afford to hire people to watch his back.
He’s old school mullah...He likes to use diplomacy, and the velvet glove, more than the iron hand that the hardliners kneejerk response...But he’s a dangerous man to treat with at the best of times. He is no dove.
He is much more liberal than Ahmed the Nut Job, but he has no love for Israel.
Any forward movement toward liberty will be hard to undo.
Merchants and Oil Workers STRIKE!!!!
To dam bad our closethomo babykilling coward President obambi can’t say those words.
Yes. Technically, He and the Assembly appoint the Grand Ayaytollah, and could vote to dismiss him...But as thre have only been two...It’s never actually been done before, so who knows if they even did do it, it’s debatable whether it would “take”.
Seriously - you watch CNN?
You realise, that in the muslim Hierarchy, Sistani as the Grand Ayatollah of Iraq, holds a historically higher ranking position than Khamenei?...who was in fact a low level cleric that was “finessed” into his position, over the heads of others, to get a man who would be more acceptable to those who put him in his position as Irans “Supreme Leader”.
He was illegitimate from day one.
Just think how much more effective these protests would be if the people were armed!!
I even watch PMSDNC occasionaly! >Bo)
But usually only to laugh at pig faced Crap Matthews lies.
CNN was the only news that wasn’t in reruns overnight, and they’ve been doing a fairly good job at covering the Iran Election protests, even when F&F came on, they were doing their usual fluff, and I wanted news from Iran.
Isn’t Rafsanjani one of those Iranian “moderates” we have been talking about and wanting for oh say the last 30 years?
You’re right. I found myself watching CNN for the first time in 10 years, just because I got so tired of seeing the same mealy mouthed talking heads on Fox.
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