In Iran, most of the nation's needs are being ignored because of the power struggle between the President and his allies on one side and the Supreme Leader on the other. Every day, there's another clash between the rival hardliners. Recently, the President appeared on TV, warning of the consequences if anyone should arrest any of his ministers. When the President went to New York to attend the UN General Assembly a few weeks ago, none of his hardline supporters encouraged the trip. Ahmadinejad was once the apple of the Supreme Leader's eyes, but now the Larijani brothers are competing against him. One of them heads the judiciary, another is the Parliamentary Speaker, while the third is in charge of the Islamic Human Rights Organisation. The Larijani brothers have power over Ahmadinejad. The continual clashes between the President on the one side and the judiciary and Parliament on the other are mainly caused by Ahmadinejad's top aides praising the Supreme Leader and the senior clergy. They have even accused Ahmadinejad's Chief of Staff and some of his ministers of being spies and defrauding the country out of $3 billion. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who campaigned against corruption before taking office in 2005, has come under pressure as his close aide and relative, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, is suspected of having ties to the main suspect. The Government denies any wrongdoing, although 11 MPs have called on the Parliamentary Speaker, Ali Larijani, to look into ‘transgressions' committed by top officials, including Ahmadinejad, Central Bank Governor Mahmoud Bahmani and Economy and Finance Minister Shamseddin Hosseini, the State-run Mehr news agency recently recently reported. Last Monday, President Ahmadinejad said: “I am not defending anyone. I have kept silent for the sake of the nation. But I believe God will defend His people.” It is the second time Ahmadinejad has spoken like this. The parliamentary elections are due next March and his rivals will be out to prevent the President's allies getting elected. Ordinary Iranians, angry at all the political squabbling, are now talking of the end of an era. “Why do they ignore the fact that the international community is humiliating Iran? Why don't they do something about the dreadful inflation and unemployment? “Why they don't they try and get the sanctions lifted? They're busy scrabbling for power. They've forgotten the people,” an Iranian citizen told me. Entekhabifard is an Iranian journalist, who regularly contributes to The Egyptian Gazette and its weekly edition, the Mail.
