Iran's supreme leader publicly rebuked the president over his removal of a top official, a rare show of discontent with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by the country's most powerful figure.The rebuke, issued in the press on Monday, quickly raised questions whether the supreme leader is backing off support of Ahmadinejad in the president's tough battle for a second term in June 12 elections. If so, that could be a heavy blow to Ahmadinejad. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds ultimate power in Iran, at the top of the clerical hierarchy above elected figures. If he is seen as moving away from Ahmadinejad, the president's conservative base could take it as a signal to back an alternative candidate.
The flap centered around control of a body that organises the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which traditionally comes under Khamenei's vast powers. The supreme leader overturned the government's removal of the head of the organisation. The dispute may appear like a minor turf battle. But some observers saw it as a sign of Khamenei distancing himself from Ahmadinejad, whose popularity has fallen among some Iranians because of the ailing economy. Political analyst Saeed Leilaz called the rebuke "unprecedented" and said it "clearly means that Khamenei doesn't insist that Ahmadinejad deserves to remain as president. That's the message."
