from the Guardian
In a move considered to be a blow to the hardline politics of Iran’s ruling party, the former president Hashemi Rafsanjani was today chosen to head the powerful clerical body that has responsibility over the country’s supreme leader.
from FT.com
‘Legally speaking, Mr Rafsanjani is now in a higher position than Ayatollah Khamenei [the supreme leader] but it is early to say how he will use this position,’ said Ahmad Zeidabadi, a political analyst.
‘This promotion certainly strengthens his hand in particular in relation to challenges with the government [of president Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad].’
