BBC: Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has urged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to prepare for a second term in office amid fierce criticism.
The ayatollah praised the president for "standing up" to the West and predicted he would be returned to office for four more years at the 2009 election.
Critics accuse Mr Ahmadinejad, a foreign policy hardliner, of failing to control inflation and unemployment.
Such public backing from the ayatollah for a president is rare, analysts say.
Mr Ahmadinejad, who won the 2005 presidential election, has caused controversy abroad by calling for the destruction of Israel and pressing ahead with uranium enrichment. Iranian Leader Backs Ahmadinejad >>> | August 24, 2008
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