Khatami Admits Lacking Full Power

President Mohammad Khatami said he regrets the closure of more than two dozen publications by hard-line rivals and acknowledged that he is sometimes powerless to protect press freedoms outlined in the Iranian Constitution.

“I support legal action against any kind of violations, but the mass closure of newspapers cannot be praised,” the reform-minded Khatami said in an interview broadcast Monday on Tehran radio to mark the third anniversary of his presidency.

Defending his administration, Khatami said he had tried to enforce the constitution but found he often lacked the power to do so.

Khatami’s reforms have met fierce resistance from Iran’s old guard of conservative rulers, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who have refused to relinquish power despite several defeats at the polls. They control the courts, military and the broadcast networks, as well as the powerful Guardian Council that vets all legislation passed by parliament, which is dominated by reformists.

Khatami said the main goal of his administration remains the establishment of rule of law and enforcement of the constitution.

One of his reforms has been thawing relations with the United States. Khatami said Tehran was not seeking confrontation with Washington, though he defended his opposition to U.S. sanctions imposed on his country after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.