This call for unity is an U-turn.
Iran's Rafsanjani calls for unity, backs leader
Iran's Rafsanjani calls for unity, backs leader
22 Aug TEHRAN (Reuters) - Influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has urged Iranians to follow Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's guidelines, five weeks after he challenged the authority of the country's most powerful figure.
Rafsanjani, a rival of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who last month defied a call by hardline clerics to back the disputed result of June's election, also advocated action to foster unity, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Saturday's conciliatory statement appeared to be in contrast to a hard-hitting sermon Rafsanjani delivered in mid-July, when he declared the Islamic Republic in crisis and demanded an end to arrests of moderates following the vote. ....
Rafsanjani, a rival of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who last month defied a call by hardline clerics to back the disputed result of June's election, also advocated action to foster unity, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Saturday's conciliatory statement appeared to be in contrast to a hard-hitting sermon Rafsanjani delivered in mid-July, when he declared the Islamic Republic in crisis and demanded an end to arrests of moderates following the vote. ....
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