Iran’s Top Opponent is Back Home

The chief opponent of Iran’s ruling clerics returned Saturday from the United States in a surprising gesture that could give fresh momentum to reformists facing a relentless crackdown.

Ailing but still defiant, Ibrahim Yazdi promised to continue his efforts to bring more openness to Iranian society and weaken the grip of the conservative theocracy.

“I’ll have no political retirement. I will continue the previous policies. My poor health cannot prevent me from fulfilling my responsibilities to my people,” Yazdi told more than 200 supporters--many only recently freed from prison--who met him at the Tehran airport.

Some wept at the sight of Yazdi, who looked weak from a long battle with cancer. A garland was placed around his shoulders.

“I’m very happy to be back to my homeland,” Yazdi said, sobbing.

The 70-year-old Yazdi left Iran in November 2000 to undergo cancer treatment in Houston. Since his departure, Iranian authorities have come down hard on perceived opponents--closing more than 50 publications and jailing dozens of journalists, academics and activists. Yazdi’s return opens a fresh challenge to the leadership.

The staunchly conservative judiciary has issued an arrest warrant for Yazdi on charges of plotting to overthrow the Islamic Republic. There was no immediate move to take him into custody, but it’s unlikely the arrest order from the powerful Revolutionary Court could be ignored for long.

Yazdi leads the now-banned Freedom Movement, which played a central role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution but later turned against the clerics as they consolidated power and crushed any dissent.