Iran Analysis: Grand Ayatollah Golpayegani Criticises Supreme Leader? (and What Could It Mean?)

And now a report which may or may not be significant in Iran's evolving political struggle.

Very significant.

Yesterday I noticed an item on the opposition site Green Voice of Freedom: "Grand Ayatollah Safi [Golpayegan] to Supreme Leader: 'You have lost your earthly life, and I am concerned about your heavenly life'".

Iran Exclusive: The Plot to Remove Ahmadinejad, Act II

If true, that would be about the coldest and most direct slap-down a senior cleric could give Ayatollah Khamenei. He stands accused of failing --- through miscalculation or ineptitude --- to uphold both religious and political responsibilities in leading the Iranian people, to the point where he may not even be worthy of Allah's forgiveness.

And there is no doubt, from GVF's summary, that this negligence is linked to the post-election crisis. The website adds that Golpayegani recently refused to meet the President when Ahmadinejad came to Qom.

Could the report be true? It claims "informed sources". Those sources are unnamed, and I have yet to find a corroborating report.

However, one EA correspondent notes, "I know many of the senior clerics have similar criticisms of Khamenei." Another writes, "As long as no official denial is published, you can be sure that it is true. Safi Golpayegani has a perfectly run website (mostly Mosque news), and his adepts would have posted it."

Then there is the possible connection to the wider story that EA posted this weekend, "The Plot Against Ahmadinejad". In that analysis, we wrote that the backing of senior clerics was essential if the planners --- Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani, top MP Ahmad Tavakoli, and Secretary of Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei --- were to proceed. We added ,"No senior cleric has come out in public opposition."

Before posting the story, I asked a key EA source, "Which senior cleric would be most significant if he made a statement against the President?" The reply: "Safi".

Well, we now have a claim that "Safi" is pressing the Supreme Leader. It is too early to claim truth, yet alone assess impact, but this is potentially a big development for the "earthly life" of President Ahmadinejad as well as Ayatollah Khamenei.