Lashing back at criticism from within his own hard-line camp President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,in a speech aired on state TV on Friday,said that there is no rift between him and Irans supreme leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei . Ahmadinejad has been criticised by Conservative hard-liners for not immediately implementing an order from Khamenei that insisted he fire his Vice-President. Hard-liners were outraged by the appointment of Esfandiar Rahim Mashai because he once made comments saying Iranians and Israelis were friends. Khamenei ordered the dismissal of the Vice-President,but Ahmadinejad stalled for days,trying to keep Mashai,who is both his in-law and a close associate. He eventually dismissed him. In his speech,Ahmadinejad said that those who a see a rift between Khamenei and the administration do not understand that the relationship between us and the supreme leader goes beyond politics and administration. It is based on kindness,on ideology,it is like that of a father and son. He said the attempts by ill-wishers would yield no results,adding,this path with be shut in the face of devils. The fight over Mashai points at an attempt by hard-liners to dictate the makeup of Ahmadinejads new government. In a sermon at Tehrans main Friday prayers,a senior ultra-conservative cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati told Ahmadinejad he must work with parliament on the formation of parliament. Meanwhile,the government and hard-liners lashed out at criticism over alleged abuse of protesters arrested in the heavy crackdown after Irans disputed election. Jannati blamed the Opposition for the deaths,saying they goaded people into protests.Who killed them? If you hadnt provoked young people,would they have been killed? Jannati said. You go to their memorial service,but you should be asking their forgiveness. Khamenei has depicted the wave of protests as part of a plot by foreign enemies to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki blamed foreign countries,particularly Britain. for the deaths.
