SocraticGadfly: If Rafsanjani is meddling in Iran, why?

June 16, 2009

If Rafsanjani is meddling in Iran, why?

Yesterday, I blogged here and here that former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani might be playing both ends against the middle in the discord and violence after Iran’s just-completed presidential election in an attempt to replace Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as head of the Council of Guardians

It certainly is a possibility. That said, did he set out to do this? I doubt it. But, opportunists usually have the biggest success in politics, as Napoleon said in other words.

As for the why?

I think Rafsanjani has had his eye on Khamenei’s seat for some time. Maybe he thinks he can’t get it by a democratic (within the Council) ousting of Khamenei while he’s still alive. And, since Rafsanjani is five years older, he can't he can’t afford to try to outwait Khamenei.

As for America’s best interests, since Rafsanjani is a former president, too, it might actually be WORSE for him to replace Khamanei.

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