[Guardian-UK] Robert Tait - In an unprecedented rebuke, 150 Iranian parliamentarians signed a letter blaming President Ahmadinejad for raging inflation and high unemployment and criticizing his government's failure to deliver the budget on time. They also condemned him for embarking on a tour of Latin America at a time of mounting crisis. The signatories included a majority of the president's former fundamentalist allies, now apparently seeking to distance themselves as his prestige wanes. MPs also criticized Ahmadinejad's role in the UN Security Council dispute over Iran's nuclear program. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is said to blame Ahmadinejad for last month's UN resolution imposing sanctions in Iran. "Ahmadinejad's golden era is over and his honeymoon with the supreme leader is finished. He has problems even meeting the supreme leader," said Iranian political commentator Eesa Saharkhiz.
2007-01-17 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive