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Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/18/analysis.iran.conservatives/
Iran's Conservative Leadership Divided Amid Unrest
[CNN] Christiane Amanpour - Iran's influential parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani on Thursday blamed the Interior Ministry for a bloody crackdown on civilians. Iran's Interior Ministry is aligned with Ahmadinejad, and Larijani and Ahmadinejad have had a tense relationship in the past. In addition, key religious conservatives such as Habibolah Asgharoladi, a senior member of a key voting bloc allied with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, have publicly complained of Ahmadinejad's treatment of the protesters. Hamid Dabashi, a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia University, said: "I am absolutely convinced that what we are witnessing is a turning point in the history of the Islamic republic. Even if the Islamic republic survives this crisis, it will no longer be as it used to be."