Report: Clerical dissent unlikely in Iran

WASHINGTON, July 9 (UPI) -- The clerical opposition to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is from marginal groups who hold little power in the Iranian theocracy, analysts say.

As street demonstrations in the wake of the disputed June 12 election evolve into dissent that tugs at the power centers in Iran, opposition clerics have voiced once-unheard-of criticism against Khamenei, who holds ultimate authority in Iran.

Khamenei was hastily given the rank of grand ayatollah following the death of the father of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to give him the political legitimacy needed to carry the mantle of the 1979 Revolution forward.

Ayatollahs in the holy cities of Qom and Isfahan have voiced their dissent in the wake of the June 12 vote, though they lack the religious credentials and financial resources to have a significant impact, notes Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Khalaji, who trained in Qom, notes these clerics were largely sidelined by Khomeini. Another opposition group, the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qom Seminary, claims only one ayatollah among its members, giving it little real influence.

Iran's clerical establishment is both controlled by an autonomous Special Court of Clerics while at the same time enjoying the benefits of the upper, ruling class. This, Khalaji notes, makes any vibrant opposition to Khamenei not only risky, but unlikely.

"Various Shiite leaders may not be happy with the Iranian government's policies, but publicizing their differences might jeopardize the social, political, and financial advantages they now receive from Iran," he concludes.