The Fault Line Within Iran's Political System

The row between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the country's intelligence czar has evolved into a serious standoff. Both sides have much at stake in attempting to preserve their share of the country's future balance of power. A compromise of sorts will likely defuse the current situation but will not represent the end of a struggle that at its core has the potential to redefine the political system in which clerics have held sway for more than three decades.