Rafsanjani challenges Iran leadership

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani today issued a direct challenge to the country’s supreme leader over the disputed election.

In his first sermon to Friday prayers since violence rocked the country he told Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ordered an end to questioning of the results, the dispute has split clerics.

Tens of thousands of government opponents packed Iran’s main service to hear him, chanting “freedom, freedom” and other slogans.

Outside, police and pro-government Basiji militiamen fired tear gas and charged thousands of protesters who chanted “death to the dictator” and called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to resign. Dozens were arrested.

Plainclothes Basijis stood in front of a line of riot police and fired canisters of tear gas, which young protesters with green bandanas over their faces kicked away across the pavement.

The opposition aimed to turn the Friday prayers at Tehran University into a show of their continued strength despite heavy government suppression since the disputed June 12 presidential election.

Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims to have won the election, sat in the front row of worshippers, attending for the first time since the turmoil began. Many of the tens of thousands at the prayers wore headbands or wristbands in his campaign colour green, or had green prayer rugs.

In his sermon broadcast live on radio nationwide, Mr Rafsanjani reprimanded the clerical leadership for not listening to people’s complaints over the election, which was declared a victory for Ahmadinejad despite opposition claims of fraud.

“Doubt has been created (about the election results),” he said. “There is a large portion of the wise people who say they have doubts. We need to take action to remove this doubt.”

He criticised the post-election wave of arrests, saying the leadership should show sympathy for protesters and release those detained.

Mr Rafsanjani is a rival of Ahmadinejad and is considered Mr Mousavi’s top supporter within Iran’s clerical leadership.

In the days after the June election, hundreds of thousands marched in the streets in support of Mr Mousavi. But after Khamenei validated the results, police, elite Republican Guards and Basiji militiamen launched a fierce crackdown on protesters in which hundreds were arrested and at least 20 killed .