With increasing international pressure on Iran and frequent meetings among world leaders, ‎which smell of war to many international affairs analysts, the war of words between President ‎Ahmadinejad and former President Hashemi Rafsanjani reached a climax as well. This week, ‎noting the American military presence in the Persian Gulf, Rafsanjani publicly warned of an ‎existence of a serious threat to Iran. Ahmadinejad on his part announced that it was he who was ‎the central architect of Iran's foreign policy and as such accused those who criticized the ‎country’s foreign policy to be cooperating with the enemy and undermining Iran's security. ‎

In his speech, Rafsanjani called for unity and recalled that unity was behind the victory of the ‎Islamic Revolution in 1979. In response, Ahmadinejad changed the subject and brought up ‎corruption in the management of Azad University, where Rafsanjani sits on its trusteeship board, ‎and accused his critics of being twice-over billionaires. ‎

The Faro news agency reported that Ahmadinejad's speech at the Iran’s Science and Technology ‎University (Elm va Sanaat) was aimed to reiterate the president’s determination to exclude all ‎other political parties and factions from influencing government decisions. ‎

According to this news agency, Ahmadinejad pointed his most poignant attacks at those who ‎have been criticizing his administration's performance in the past two years. In his speech, ‎Ahmadinejad attacked "insider" officials who disrupt progress in the nuclear case, mentioned a ‎‎"nuclear spy" who is likely to be cleared of charges under pressure from powerful currents, and ‎promised to take on the Azad University system in response to increasing public dissatisfaction ‎with the private university system - suggesting that the President is ready to once again take on ‎his presidential rival 2 years ago. ‎

During his 3-hour long meeting with students at the Science and Technology University, ‎Ahmadinejad said, "In the nuclear case, we had some problems that we had to overcome." When ‎asked if the president single-handedly determined the country's foreign policy, Ahmadinejad ‎responded, "This is almost true. Part of it is natural and part of it must be reformed. When an ‎organization wants to move forward the head of that organization must lead the way." ‎

Ahmadinejad added, "Sometimes we hear people say that a third (UN) resolution is coming. ‎What resolution? The [International Energy and Atomic] Agency says that Iran's nuclear ‎activities are peaceful and Iran has cleared all the questions. Some want to suggest that the ‎problem is on our side, but the problem is on their side. Oppressor countries have passed two ‎resolutions and are baffled as to how to justify them. As always, they want to send the problem ‎our way." ‎

‎"Iran's nuclear case has been closed politically. We advise the Europeans to be friends of the ‎Iranian nation. The Americans - wherever they reap any benefit - want it for themselves, and ‎when they incur losses, the Europeans have to pay. They have to learn from that, because ‎whatever they do against the Iranian people, they are the absolute and final losers," he said.‎