TEHRAN, IRAN: Moderate former president appointed to key religious post | September 05, 2007
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: September 5th, 2007 01:00 AM
Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani rose to a key religious post Tuesday in a move that moderates considered a victory at a time Tehran is facing international pressure over its nuclear ambitions and U.S. threats to brand its Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
Rafsanjani, widely regarded as a pragmatist, was appointed to head the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body that selects the nation’s supreme religious leader. The new position further enhances his portfolio and was viewed by many analysts as at least a temporary obstacle to the hard-line conservatives running the government.
Los Angeles Times
Posted by admin at September 5, 2007 02:58 PM