Ahmadinejad continues to be under pressure. In-fighting in Iran has been reported on for a number of months, but as arrests of Ahmadinejad’s key allies continue, he is now finding he is being censored. He can’t even depend on his own family.
The day after Khamenei’s call for civility and calm, in a surprising development, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s own brother, Davoud Ahmadinejad, lashed out at the president’s faction. According to Mehr News, a semi-official news agency, Davoud Ahmadinejad said that a “deviant current” is serving as the “infantry” of hegemonic powers. “Deviant current” is a common way of referring to Ahmadinejad’s faction, headed by his closest friend and adviser Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaiee. “Hegemonic powers” is also a euphemism, typically referring to the United States. Davoud Ahmadinejad’s assertion that his brother’s faction are the footsoldiers of antagonistic nations is not unprecedented–on May 24, Ahmadinejad’s own son in law attacked the president with similar criticisms. The schisms within the government are now so pronounced, it seems, that even the families of political figures are bitterly divided over which side to support.
