Ahmadinejad Faces His Toughest Test

Embattled Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad faces daunting domestic and foreign challenges as he begins the second four-year term of his presidency. Analysts say he must tread a careful path of diplomacy to survive the dangers ahead.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei endorsed Ahmadinejad's re-election on Monday, calling June's controversial election result a national verdict on the president's record. In Khamenei's words, the poll was a "vote for the productive and dignified discourse of Islamic revolution; a vote on anti-hegemony and brave resistance to the world's hegemonic powers; a vote for the struggle against poverty and corruption and for simple lifestyles, closeness to people and empathy for the have-nots."