Iran Supreme Leader Intervenes in Power Struggle Over Mayor
Iran’s supreme leader has stepped in to quell a power struggle among clerical rulers over the arrest of Tehran’s reform-minded mayor, the official news agency reported Thursday.
Mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi was arrested Saturday on embezzlement allegations that supporters blame on political opponents. The case has highlighted the feuding between moderates and hard-liners over the direction of the country, nearly 20 years after the Islamic Revolution.
The rare public show of discord apparently prompted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to act, underlining the urgency of the situation.
On Wednesday night, he summoned the heads of the government’s branches to “exchange views on the issue of the mayor of Tehran,” the Islamic Republic News Agency said.
The government leaders included President Mohammad Khatami; Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the powerful Expediency Council that sets government policy; parliament Speaker Ali Akbar Nateq-Nuri; and Chief Justice Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi.
Khatami and Rafsanjani, a former president, are moderates. Nateq-Nuri, who was defeated by Khatami in the May presidential election, and Yazdi follow hard-line policies.
As Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei has the last word on all affairs.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
