TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The spiritual mentor of Iran’s president is criticizing him for his role in an internal power struggle among the country’s hard-liners.
The cleric’s criticism indicates that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s support base is badly fraying after he challenged the all-encompassing authority of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The president’s mentor, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, says he is increasingly turning friends into enemies and demonstrating what he called “illogical and cheap” behavior.
He made the comments in an interview with hardline weekly Shoma, which was published Saturday.
The spiraling political confrontations appear to center on attempts by Ahmadinejad to ensure he can influence the choice of his successor in 2013 elections.
