PRESIDENT Obama remains adamant about his policy of "engagement" with Iran. Yet he may soon find it hard to find a credible interlocutor in Tehran.
One can see the split down the middle of the ruling elite in all of the constituencies that together form the Khomeinist establishment.
The politically active segment of the Shiite clergy: Some senior mullahs (like Hussein-Ali Montazeri, Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili and Yussef Sanei) side with the opposition. Others (such as Muhammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, Ahmad Jannati and Ahmad Khatami) support "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei, who has emerged as the regime's field commander.
The military: Defense Minister Gen. Mostafa Muhammad Najjar and Interior Minister Gen. Sadeq Mahsouli have sided with Khamenei's hard-line stance. Adm. Ali Shamkhani (a former defense minister) and Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi (a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander) have indicated support for the opposition.
Unconfirmed reports say at least 17 mid-ranking Guard officers have been relieved of their posts. A senior commander, Gen. Ali Fazli, who led the elite "Master of the Martyrs' Division," has been "reassigned" after refusing to order troops to crush the demonstrators.
The position of Gen. Muhammad-Ali Jaafari, the Guard's commander, remains an enigma. Although promoted under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he has on occasion indicated unhappiness with the president's style, if not the substance of policies.
Gen. Hassan Firuzabadi, the armed forces chief of staff and the country's most senior military figure, has also tried to remain neutral, though some claim he sympathizes with the opposition.
Senior technocrats: Some, like former Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati, have rallied to the "supreme guide." Others, like nuclear-project head Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh and former Foreign Minister Kamaleddin Kharrazi, have indicated support for the opposition. Deputy Oil Minister Akbar Torkan was just dismissed because of suspected opposition sympathies.
Other influential figures such as Gen. Muhammad-Baqer Qalibaf, Tehran's mayor, and Ali Larijani, speaker of the Islamic Majlis, Iran's ersatz parliament, have tried to sit on the fence, making noises supporting the opposition one day and professing loyalty to the "supreme guide" the next.
Subscribe to the Electronic Edition and get the New York Post exactly as it appears in print.
TODAY'S HEADLINES AROUND THE WEB Solidarity With IranE.E. Smith: Animal House at 30The Bard of BerkeleyTarheels vs. the InternetSouthern DiscomfortA Unified Bank Regulator Is a Goo...Charter Schools Win a High-Profil...Silence Has Consequences for IranTo-Do List: A Sentence, Not 10 Pa...Best of the Web Today: Underwear... RIP Michael Jackson: your passing...Lighten up, Auntie, and ditch the...There is a happy ending to our fa...Britannia shrivels under Gordon B...A pension lesson from elderly ban...Between tennis and a Highland fli...?Adults only? should mean more th...Good intentions on the Road to Co...Bore for Britain, Dave. It?s your...The fans killed their idol. They... Steven Milloy: The Futility of Hy...Gutfeld: How Does Stimulus Stimul...Mike Baker: Responsibility Rears...Heritage: Obama's 'Extreme Team'... What Does Tonights Vote Mean?Cap and Trade Passes 219 to 212Happy Hour LinksJohn Boehner Takes Over the Floor...Another Day, Another Broken Obama...What Does Dennis Ross Do?Why Not Them?Of Course We Are Superior and The...Roberts v. JacksonGitmo Transparency News Local News National News International News News Columnists Weird But True NYPD Daily Blotter Liberty Medals Traffic & Transit Lottery Classroom Extra Sports Yankees Mets Giants Jets Knicks Nets Rangers Islanders Devils Sports Blogs Columnists Bettor's Guide Horse Racing Picks Post Line Gossip Page Six Cindy Adams Michael Riedel Celebrity Photos Celebrity Sightings Page Six Magazine Delonas Cartoons Business Business Columnists Real Estate Jobs Stock Quotes Entertainment Movies Movies Blog Oscars Food Fashion Fashion Blog Music Theater Health Travel Travel Blog Horoscope Dating Weekend Guide Comics & Games Post Game Report Tempo Post Opinion Editorials Oped Columnists Letters Books Ramirez Cartoons Send a Letter TV Linda Stasi Starr Report Reviews TV Listings LIVE: The TV Blog Classifieds Cars Jobs Real Estate For Rent Buy/Sell/Trade Tickets & Events Pets Services Place an Ad Miscellaneous Sweeps/Contests Coupons Media Kit Parade Magazine RSS Special Sections Privacy Policy Terms of Use Video Page Six MagazineMedia Kit User Services Contact Us FAQ Daily Newsletter Home Delivery Avant Go E-Edition Mobile Archives Back Issues Reprints Story Index Past Editions Sitemap subscribeprivacy policyterms of userss
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.
Copyright 2009 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
_qoptions={ qacct:"p-71srIU8qxlTKc" };
Home|News|Sports|Page Six|Business|Entertainment|Opinion|TV|Classifieds|Blogs
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.
Copyright 2009 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read Full Article »