Ahmadinejad Continues Purging "Moderates"

Thu, Nov 17, 2005 at 8:14:20 pm PST

Radical Islamic Iranian “president” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is eliminating his opponents: Iran in political turmoil as president purges opponents. (Hat tip: NC.)

Iran is facing political paralysis as its newly elected president purges government institutions, bringing accusations that he is undertaking a coup d’état.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s clearout of his opponents began last month but is more sweeping than previously understood and has reached almost every branch of government, the Guardian has learned. Dozens of deputy ministers have been sacked this month in several government departments, as well the heads of the state insurance and privatisation organisations. Last week, seven state bank presidents were dismissed in what an Iranian source described as “a coup d’état”.

An informed Iranian source with first-hand knowledge of all the main political and clerical figures in the country said: “Ahmadinejad is defying everybody. He does whatever he wants and considers it to be right. This is not how things are done in Iran.”

But don’t worry. The experts say Iran won’t have nuclear weapons for another five years.

Sleep tight.