The powerful Iranian cleric and politician Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has once again spoken out against Iran’s Supreme Leader. Rafsanjani, chairman of the Islamic Republic’s Expediency Council, says he expected the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, to react against the “accusations” made against “certain officials of the regime.”
Rafsanjani said in an interview that the statements of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his presidential debate with opposition leader Mir-Hosein Mousavi were “highly inappropriate.” In this debate, on June 3, 2009 – over a week before the election date – Ahmadinejad accused the family of Hashemi Rafsanjani of financial corruption.
Three days before the elections, Hashemi Rafsanjani sent an open letter to Ayatollah Khamenei calling for his “intervention” in the accusations made against him. He says the Supreme Leader has no criticism against the content of the letter but maintains that the timing of the letter was inappropriate. Rafsanjani however claims that he could not have waited writing the letter until after the elections: “In case of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s loss, it would be inappropriate to create conflicts with him; and in case of his victory, it would be an affront to his victory celebrations.”
Rafsanjani has criticized Ahmadinejad’s policies in the past year on several occasions. Ahmadinejad supporters claim Rafsanajani is the “root of all problems.” The Rafsanjani family has also announced that they have filed libel lawsuits against Ahmadinejad with the judiciary.

source: Radio Zamaneh