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Iranian rivals unite against U.S.

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA (BAHRAIN) JULY 19. Rebuffing criticism by the U.S. President, George W. Bush, on the internal situation in Iran, reformers in Teheran have asserted that the much-required changes in their system will not be brought about through remote control.

While supporters of Iran's moderate President, Mohammad Khatami, continue to advocate change, they have, nevertheless, united with the hardliners among the clergy to denounce external interference in their affairs. Even the pro-reform religious leader, Ayatollah Jalaeddin Taheri, who has publicly clashed with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, last week, has supported the latter's call for street protests against the U.S. ahead of the weekly Friday prayers. While Ayatollah Taheri called upon all Iranians to participate in the protests, he has also reiterated the need for persisting with reforms.

Ayatollah Taheri had recently accused the country's political decision-makers of corruption, paralysing the Government and stifling intellectual freedom. Though Iran has an elected Parliament and President, real powers rest with the Council of Guardians, comprising religious leaders who are answerable to Ayatollah Khameini alone. Reflecting Iranian sentiments, an official quoted in the official news agency IRNA said there were fundamental differences between changes that the reformists wanted and, what he called, American-style reforms.

Unhappy with Mr. Bush's statements which not only attacked the conservatives but also appeared to encourage the recent large-scale student protests against the country's rulers, Mr. Khatami has sought an apology from the U.S. to the people and Government of Iran. Such a step, he said, would breach the wall of mistrust, which separates the two countries.

Meanwhile, Ayatollah Khameini said that Mr. Bush's remarks were a repetition of the big mistakes made by the U.S. in the past. Despite their obvious differences, analysts here point out that the American clubbing of Iran with North Korea and Iraq as the axis of evil maybe bringing the reformers and conservatives together. One view that is finding some currency here is that Iran could also be on the U.S. hit-list after a regime change in Iraq, as publicly sought by Washington, has been achieved. Those who hold this viewpoint point out that like Iraq, which the U.S. wants to strike because it could pass nuclear weapons it might be developing to international terror groups, Iran too can be targeted on similar grounds.

Iran's efforts to build nuclear weapons and missiles are well recorded. The U.S. has also accused it of having close links with Shiite extremist groups located in Israel's periphery in Lebanon and Syria as well as supporting the extremist Islamic Jihad and the Hamas groups operating in Palestinian territories. Besides, te U.S. has blamed Iran for allowing remnants the Al-Qaeda to enter its territory across the Afghan-Iran border.

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