David Ignatius: Obama’s Signal to Iran
THE WASHINGTON POST: President Obama has signaled Iran that the United States would accept an Iranian civilian nuclear program if Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei can back up his recent public claim that his nation “will never pursue nuclear weapons.”

This verbal message was sent through Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Khamenei last week. A few days before traveling to Iran, Erdogan had held a two-hour meeting with Obama in Seoul, in which they discussed what Erdogan would tell the ayatollah about the nuclear issue and Syria.

Obama advised Erdogan that the Iranians should realize that time is running out for a peaceful settlement and that Tehran should take advantage of the current window for negotiations. Obama didn’t specify whether Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium domestically as part of the civilian program the United States would endorse. That delicate issue evidently would be left for the negotiations that are supposed to start April 13, at a venue yet to be decided.

Erdogan is said to have replied that he would convey Obama’s views to Khamenei, and it’s believed he did so when he met the Iranian leader on Thursday. Erdogan also met President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other senior Iranian officials during his visit. Read on and comment » | David Ignatius | Opinion Writer | Thursday, April 05, 2012

Iran's Supreme Leader Says Obama Comments Are 'Window of Opportunity'
THE GUARDIAN: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls US president's remarks about need to dampen drumbeat of war 'good words and an exit from delusion'

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has described comments by the US president, Barack Obama, about the need to dampen the drumbeat of war as a diplomatic "window of opportunity", the Iranian state news agency IRNA has reported. » | Reuters | Thursday, March 08, 2012

Iran: We Will Help 'Cut Out the Cancer of Israel'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran will help anyone willing to "cut out the cancer" of Israel, its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today.

The religious leader also told worshippers at Friday prayers that the country will continue its controversial nuclear programme.

He warned that any military strike by the West would only make Iran stronger.

"From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help. We have no fear expressing this," said Khamenei.

He said Israel is a "cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut".

Iran has been repeatedly defiant to hints that the US and Israel may at some point launch military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

But any statement by Iran's Supreme Leader, who has final say on all matters of state, makes it all the more unlikely that Tehran will switch tack. Read on and comment » | Friday, February 03, 2012

My comment:

Khamenei is supposed to be the supreme spiritual leader. Not much spiritual in these pronouncements. He sounds more like a warmonger than an ayatollah! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Threatens to Scrap Directly Elected President
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The deep internal divides at the top of Iranian politics sharpened on Sunday when the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned he could do away with the presidency, currently held by his rival, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In a speech, Ayatollah Khamenei made passing mention of the presidential system, which was his own route to power. "Presently, the country's ruling political system is a presidential one in which the president is directly elected by the people, making this a good and effective method," he said.

"However, if one day, probably in the distant future, it is deemed that the parliamentary system is more appropriate for the election of officials with executive power, there would be no problem in altering the current structure."

There is little chance of such a change before the next presidential elections are due in 2013. But his comments will be viewed, including by Mr Ahmadinejad himself, as a further warning against overstepping the limits of the authority he is granted under Iran's theocratic rule.

The Supreme Leader, appointed by an "Assembly of Experts", has final say in all major issues. Read on and comment » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, October 16, 2011

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Says West Trying to Spread 'Iranophobia'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The West is trying but failing to instil "Iranophobia," Iran's supreme leader said on Thursday in remarks that appeared to be prompted by, but did not directly address, US allegations of a thwarted Tehran-sponsored assassination plot.

"The repeat of ineffective and stupid methods by hapless and distracted policy-makers in the West (to spread) Iranophobia will again bear no result," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an army base in the western city of Kermanshah, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"They will once again taste failure's bitterness," he said.

Khamenei added that Iran's arch-foe, the United States, was caught in a "quagmire" of its own creation because of its "wrong policies and performance."

Khamenei did not explicitly respond to US allegations that Iranian government officials were behind a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington. » | Thursday, October 13, 2011

Close Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Aide Arrested
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, suffered a further blow on Thursday after one of his closest aides was arrested, in an escalation of a feud with the Islamic state's Supreme Leader.

Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh who was forced to resign as deputy foreign minister on Tuesday just days after his appointment after a backlash from mainstream conservatives loyal to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was arrested on Thursday on corruption charges.

Mr Malekzadeh was a senior official in the high council of Iranian foreign affairs, run by Mr Ahmadinejad's chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, whom conservatives accuse of disloyalty.

Western officials based in Tehran said Mr Ahmadinejad was under pressure after an unsuccessful power grab in which he had tried to install loyalists in the powerful intelligence and oil ministries. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Thursday, June 23, 2011

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Ally Forced to Resign as Pressure Grows on Iran President

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suffered a devastating blow to his authority on Tuesday as MPs forced the resignation of one of his closest allies amid growing domestic opposition to his radical leadership.

Fury over Mr Ahmadinejad's handling of government appointments has risen steadily within the mainstream conservative majority in the country's parliament.

Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh, who had been appointed deputy foreign minister just four days ago, was forced to resign after a backlash in parliament. MPs had started impeachment procedures against Ali Akbar Salehi, the foreign minister, for elevating a man with a criminal background as his deputy.

Mr Malekzadeh said his resignation should remove the threat of impeachment. "Despite dastardly manipulations and plentiful injustices done against me, I can't accept that you suffer from unjust pressures because of me," he wrote to Mr Salehi.

Despite the abject tone of the letter, MPs vowed to press ahead with the impeachment of Mr Salehi.

Political analysts suggest the ultimate target of the MPs is Mr Ahmadinejad and his controversial right hand man, Esfandiar Mashaie, the president's chief of staff. Mr Malekzadeh served as foreign affairs adviser to the chief of staff.

Mr Ahmadinejad is believed to be viewed with suspicion by the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, who holds ultimate authority in official matters. Mr Mashaie, who's son is married to the president's daughter, has been accused of orchestrating secret contacts with Iran's enemies, including the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Necklace Ban for Men as Tehran's 'Moral Police' Enforce Dress Code

THE GUARDIAN: More than 70,000 trained forces sent out to streets as part of effort to combat 'western cultural invasion'

Iranian men have been banned from wearing necklaces in the latest crackdown by the Islamic regime on "un-Islamic" clothing and haircuts.

Thousands of special forces have been deployed in Tehran's streets, participating in the regime's "moral security plan" in which loose-fitting headscarves, tight overcoats and shortened trousers that expose skin will not be tolerated for women, while men are warned against glamorous hairstyles and wearing a necklace.

The new plan comes shortly after the Iranian parliament proposed a bill to criminalise dog ownership, on the grounds that it "poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the west".

The Irna state news agency said the trend was aimed at combating "the western cultural invasion" with help from more than 70,000 trained forces, known as "moral police", who are sent out to the streets in the capital and other cities.

With the summer heat sweeping across the country, many people, especially the young, push the boundaries and run the risk of being fined, or even arrested, for wearing "bad hijab" clothing. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Inside Story: Iran's Power Struggle
Inside Story, discusses with Mohammed Syed Marandi, professor of political science at Tehran University; Mehrdad Khonsari, a former Iranian diplomat; and Majoob Zweiri, an expert on Iran

Speculation Intensifies Over Iranian Political Situation
Iran is rife with speculation that president Mahmoud Ahmadenijad may be about to resign over a feud with the country's supreme leader.

Last month Ahmadinejad sacked Iran's intelligence chief, Heydar Moslehi, in a move that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei quickly overruled.

Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari explains the situation from the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Current Iranian Politics
There's a dramatic feud at the highest level of Iran's government, with speculation president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may quit.

Al Jazeera explains the key players involved

Iran Supreme Leader: U.S. Will Share the Fate of Fallen Mideast Regimes
HAARETZ: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as Iranian President Ahmadinejad says global Islamic awakening is toppling murderous and corrupt world powers.

The United States will suffer the same defeat as that experienced by despotic Mideast regimes, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by Iran's Fars news agency on Thursday, as the country's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared the era of worldwide "hegemonic powers" was over.

In a meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran, Khamenei, referring to recent Mideast turmoil, which had seen regimes changes in both Tunisia and Egypt, said that it was God's will that the United States would too be defeated by what he sees as an Islamic revolution.

"Not only corrupted and despotic rulers but the United States and other world powers with an aggressive nature will finally suffer a defeat by nations and God's promises will come true," Khamenei said.

The Supreme Leader's comments came after Iran's President, also speaking in Thursday, said that murderous and corrupt world powers were collapsing as a result of a global Islamic awakening. >>> Haaretz Service | Thursday, March 10, 2011

Iranian Lawmakers Call for Execution of Opposition Leaders
Protests growing increasingly violent

Khamenei Hails 'Islamic' Uprisings
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Iranian supreme leader urges Egyptians to follow in the footsteps of Iran's 1979 revolution.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader has called the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia an "Islamic liberation movement".

In his address, during Friday prayers at Tehran University, he said that people are witnessing the reverberations of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

Khamenei said of the current unrest that "this is what was always referred to as ... Islamic awareness in connection with Iran's great Islamic Revolution."

Khamenei has urged Egypt's protesters to follow in the footsteps of the Iranian revolution which toppled a pro-US leader and called on Egyptians to unite around religion.

Referring to the events in Tunisia in Egypt, he said that it is a sign of "Islamic awareness" in the region and that these movements will spell an "irreparable defeat" for the United States.

He said that the embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is a "servant" of Israel and the United States.

"For 30 years this country (Egypt) has been in the hands of someone who is not seeking freedom and is the enemy of those seeking freedom.

"Not only he is [sic] not anti-Zionist, but he is the companion, colleague, confidant and servant of Zionists. It is a fact that Hosni Mubarak's servitude to America has been unable to take Egypt one step towards prosperity."

The spiritual leader's remarks were received by cheering crowds of worshippers who, raising their hands, chanted "Death to America! Death to Israel!" >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, February 04, 2011

WikiLeaks: Ayatollah Khameni Has Terminal Cancer
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran's Supreme Leader has terminal cancer and could die within months US officials were told by a well-placed Iranian informant, diplomatic cables show.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Ayatollah Khamenei, the chief religious leader of Iran, who holds the final word in state affairs is a hardliner well-known to be hostile to America. Details of the health and lifestyle of the 71-year old are shrouded in secrecy.

Any credible information that he was dying would fundamentally change the diplomatic stakes in negotiations between Tehran and its Western adversaries.

The US consulate in Istanbul reported in August, 2009 that a businessman close to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president, that the Supreme Leader had been diagnosed with a fatal form of Leukaemia. The source said Ayatollah Rafsanjani believed his great rival would be dead in a "matter of months". >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Monday, November 29, 2010

Music Fails to Chime with Islamic Values, Says Iran's Supreme Leader
THE GUARDIAN: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claims the promotion and teaching of the artform is not compatible with country's sacred regime

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today that music is "not compatible" with the values of the Islamic republic, and should not be practised or taught in the country.

In some of the most extreme comments by a senior regime figure since the 1979 revolution, Khamenei said: "Although music is halal, promoting and teaching it is not compatible with the highest values of the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic."

Khamenei's comments came in response to a request for a ruling by a 21-year-old follower of his, who was thinking of starting music lessons, but wanted to know if they were acceptable according to Islam, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. "It's better that our dear youth spend their valuable time in learning science and essential and useful skills and fill their time with sport and healthy recreations instead of music," he said.

Unlike other clerics in Iran, whose religious rulings are practised by their own followers, Khamenei's views are interpreted as administrative orders for the whole country, which must be obeyed by the government. Last month Khamenei issued a controversial fatwa in which he likened his leadership to that of the Prophet Muhammad and obliged all Iranians to obey his orders. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Monday, August 02, 2010

Iran Regime Weakened: Divisions Exposed One Year After Disputed Presidential Election

THE TELEGRAPH: Deep divisions have emerged within the Iranian leadership in the run-up to Saturday's first anniversary of the hotly disputed presidential election contest that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.

Factional infighting fuelled by a series of splits since the vote was exposed as rigged last year have come to a head with a row over an attack on attack [sic] on the family of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution.

The dispute has further eroded support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader, who has been criticised for driving Iran into economic and diplomatic isolation by backing the extremist president.

The emergence of prominent hardliners as critics has intensified pressure on a government already facing a revolt by reformists.

Official results that granted an overwhelming victory to Mr Ahmadinejad last June are still hotly disputed by millions of Iranians.

Mass protests in the wake of the vote pitched the country in its worst turnmoil since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

A harsh clampdown has seen an estimated 5,000 Iranians jailed and hundreds killed as the regime moved [to] crush[ed] the popular challenge to its authority.

The protest movement has been virtually forced underground as its leaders were forced to cancel protests that had been planned across Iran today. Only sporadic defiance was reported on the eve of the anniversary yesterday.

Pictures of those killed in last year's clashes were hung from trees in central Tehran while an estimated 700 political prisoners at Gohardasht prison staged a hunger strike.

There were also unconfirmed reports of clashes between protesters loyal to the opposition, which calls itself the Green Movement and security officials on Tehran's metro system. >>> Con Coughlin and Ahmad Vahdat | Saturday, June 12, 2010

Iran Calls US 'the World's Only Atomic Criminal'
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran has demanded America's expulsion from the international nuclear system.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the US were 'atomic criminals'. Photograph: The Telegraph
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used an international conference in Tehran to condemn the US as the "world's only atomic criminal".

"Only the US government has committed an atomic crime. The world's only atomic criminal lies and presents itself as being against nuclear weapons proliferation, while it has not taken any serious measures in this regard," said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a message read to the summit.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the establishment of a new international weapons regime that would stand independent of Western political interference.

The Iranian government staged the meeting in response to President Barack Obama's summit on nuclear security in Washington at the start of the week.

Iran condemned the 47-nation disarmament summit in Washington on the grounds that the United States holds one of the world's largest arsenals of nuclear weapons.

Officials boasted that 55 nations had agreed to travel to Iran – more than the number that assembled in Washington – but conceded that the ash cloud over Europe had prevent many delegates from reaching its capital.

In a rambling speech that contained a threat to quit the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Mr Ahmadinejad said a new "independent international group" should be set up to supervise nuclear disarmament.

"An independent international group which plans and oversees nuclear disarmament and prevents proliferation should be set up," he said. >>> Damien McElroy in Tehran | Saturday, April 17, 2010

Ali Khamenei : le peuple iranien a «défait» l'ennemi
Ali Khamenei assis à côté du portrait de son prédécesseur, l'ayatollah Ruhollah Khomieni. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Dans un message pour le Nouvel an iranien, le guide suprême du pays a dénoncé samedi «les ennemis de la République islamique» qui ont tout fait pour «défaire la révolution de l'intérieur».

Alors que l'année iranienne s'achève, le guide suprême du pays, l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a affirmé samedi, dans un message pour le Nouvel an (Nowrouz), que le peuple avait défait, durant ces douze derniers mois, l'«ennemi» qui complotait contre la République islamique.

«Les ennemis du pays et de la République islamique ont concentré tous leurs efforts, après 30 ans, pour défaire la révolution de l'intérieur», a déclaré l'ayatollah, dans un message lu à la télévision d'Etat. Une référence aux troubles qui ont suivi l'élection présidentielle de juin et la réélection controversée du président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

L'année iranienne, qui se termine samedi, a en effet été marquée par des manifestations de l'oppposition qui ont fait des dizaines de morts. Dans le même temps, des milliers de personnes ont également été arrêtées. Le Guide suprême a précisé que la nouvelle année iranienne (21 mars 2010 - 20 mars 2011) serait «l'année du double effort et du double travail» pour assurer «plus de progrès et de justice» au pays.

Dimanche, dans la ville de Mashhad (nord-est), où il se rend traditionnellement pour la nouvelle année, Ali Khamenei s'en est de nouveau pris aux «ennemis» de la République islamique. «S'ils avaient réussi, les Etats-Unis et le régime sioniste auraient envoyé leurs forces dans les rues de Téhéran (soutenir les manifestants de l'opposition, ndlr), mais ils ont compris que cela leur porterait tort. Les dirigeants des pays oppresseurs (occidentaux, ndlr) ont alors commencé à faire de la propagande pour soutenir les fauteurs de trouble», a-t-il souligné. Il a également accusé le président américain, Barack Obama, de «comploter» contre l'Iran malgré son offre de dialogue. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Dimanche 21 Mars 2010

LE FIGARO: Khamenei accuse Obama de "complot" >>> AFP | Dimanche 21 Mars 2010

Khamenei’s Uncertain Future: A lonelier road for Iran’s Supreme Leader
THE MAJALLA: While before the presidential elections it appeared that Khamenei would remain Supreme Leader for life, his fate is far less certain today, and he is openly defied by reformist leaders, faces dissent from top ayatollahs, and is contested in public demonstrations. Despite the damage to his reputation, Khamenei’s vast and potent network remains for the moment intact, and his future rests largely in the hands of the Revolutionary Guards.

Among the numerous casualties of Iran’s tainted 2009 presidential elections was the legitimacy of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While for two decades Khamenei had attempted to cultivate an image of an impartial and magnanimous guide staying above the political fray, his defiant public support for hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—amidst massive popular uprisings and unprecedented fissures amongst the country’s political elites—exposed him as a petty, partisan autocrat.

At a popular level, previously sacred taboos were shattered, as hundreds of thousands of Iranians defied Khamenei’s unveiled threats against protestors by taking to the streets chanting “death to the dictator” and even “death to Khamenei.” Widely seen images of government-sanctioned brutality against civilians—such as the horrific murder of 27-year-old Neda agha Soltan—as well as persistent allegations of torture, rape, and forced confessions in prison have undermined Khamenei’s image as a “just” spiritual leader among Iran’s pious classes. Widespread allegations of the growing role of his son Mojtaba, considered a key Ahmadinejad ally, in Iran’s repressive security apparatus have further tarnished Khamenei’s public image. >>> Karim Sadjadpour | Monday, February 01, 2010