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Iran Rift Deepens with Arrest of President's Ally
(New York Times) David Goodman - Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh, a close ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, has been arrested, Iranian news agencies reported Thursday. Malekzadeh, who resigned as deputy foreign minister this week, is the most senior Ahmadinejad associate to be arrested as the rift between the president and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation's spiritual leader and highest authority, has worsened. Some of the president's allies, including Malekzadeh, have been accused of being part of a "deviant current" of disloyalty. As a result, many former allies have abandoned the president and proclaimed their allegiance to Ayatollah Khamenei. "The president now knows he lacks institutional power to challenge the prerogatives of the supreme leader," said Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "A weakened Ahmadinejad who stays in his lane is good for the supreme leader."