Is president of Iran on the ropes?

The arrest of a close ally of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being seen as a major reversal for the Iranian leader.

Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh was placed in custody on fraud charges in late June, just a few days after he was nominated as deputy foreign minister and then forced to withdraw by parliament.

Malekzadeh is the most senior figure to be arrested so far, but a number of others have been detained as well, including Abbas Amirifar, who headed the government's cultural commission, and Kazem Kiapasha from the presidential administration. The heads of two of Iran's economic free zones and the director of the national museum have also been arrested.

The systematic arrest of a group of high-ranking figures while still in office is a rare occurrence in Iran. All those arrested are close associates of Esfandiar Rahim Mashai - Ahmadinejad's closest friend and the man believed to be running his administration from behind the scenes.

Like previous Iranian presidents, Ahmadinejad did not come to power backed by a united party that wielded social, economic and administrative influence. But he and his associates have tried to build up a support base that will survive his presidency and allow them to continue to play a major role in Iranian politics.

Coming as they do less than one year from the next parliamentary election, these arrests indicate that certain segments of the Iranian regime have no interest in allowing this restless and wayward player to continue building towards a lasting presence on the political scene.

The campaign against Ahmadinejad is driven by disparate groups - the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the clerics of Qom, supporters of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and old-style conservative groups. All have an interest in curbing the Ahmadinejad government, even if they disagree on other matters.

It is, however, in the nature of Iranian politics that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must have given tacit approval for such a direct move against the government.

What is not clear at this junction is just how serious an irritant Ahmadinejad has become to the Supreme Leader.

For the moment at least, most analysts believe that Ahmadinejad be allowed to complete his current term and then step down.

This could change, however, if the Supreme Leader comes to believe that the president has become too big for his britches.

For the moment, at least Ayatollah Khamenei has consented only to clipping the president's wings.

Source: The Bellingham Herald