In an article entitled, “The ouster of Rafsanjani: An end for the Islamic Republic,” al-Safir wrote, “The battle lines have become more accentuated day by day.”
Rafsanjani was removed last week from his post as the chairman of the regime’s Assembly of Experts. He was replaced by Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani.
“There has been evidence published according to which Rafsanjani had predicted that the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will die as a result of cancer, and that he had eyed the supreme leader position because he thought he deserves it more than any other cleric.”
The daily also said, “The bitter end for Rafsanjani does not quite resemble the fates of [Tunisia’s] Bin Ali and [Egypt’s] Mubarak, but it is the regime’s reaction to them: The ruling elite is declaring that from now on, the time of those who have stood passively in a grey political zone has come to an end and they will not be tolerated any longer.”
“More importantly, the regime is saying that it will not tolerate those who quietly take a position once in a while behind their clerical robes,” it said.
Al-Safir added, “The difficult end of Rafsanjani’s political life as someone who even when he was silent or fearful remained to be one of the regime’s pillars is drawing closer.”
“The regime is continuously downsizing and the battle between political, religious and security officials on the one hand and a young generation on the other, which believes that with the ouster of Rafsanjani the Islamic Republic has become out of touch with reality and has squandered its only opportunity, will intensify.”