President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s last week speech at the Science and Technology ‎University, in which he made unprecedented accusations against the faction close to ‎Hashemi Rafsanjani, has raised an uproar among clerics close to Rafsanjani. Yesterday, ‎the former head of the Supreme National Security Council, Hassan Rohani, accused the ‎president of breaking the law by assuming guilt before trial, and the conservative ‎‎“Jomhouri Eslami” daily called for Ahmadinejad’s prosecution in its main editorial. ‎

Last Friday, Hojattoleslam Doagoo, Shemiran’s Friday prayer leader, who is known for ‎his attacks on reformists, criticized Ahmadinejad and accused him of taking credit for ‎Rafsanjani’s achievements in reinitiating Iran’s nuclear program following the Iran-Iraq ‎War. ‎

Ahmadinejad and his supporters have increased their attacks on the faction close to ‎Rafsanjani in recent days. During his speech at the Science and Technology University, ‎Ahmadinejad accused the Azad University system – of which Rafsanjani is a board ‎member – of corruption and criticized “domestic opponents” of pressuring the judiciary ‎into clearing espionage charges against former top nuclear negotiator, Mousavian. ‎

Officials from the Azad University and judiciary immediately denied Ahmadinejad’s ‎accusations. The Azad University released a statement accusing Ahmadinejad of ‎presenting false and fabricated figures, and officials from the judiciary denied having ‎been pressured to clear Mousavian of charges. ‎

In its main editorial yesterday, Jomhouri Eslami daily published its harshest attacks yet ‎on President Ahmadinejad. The daily’s editorial was even harsher than one published a ‎few months ago in which Ahmadinejad was accused of lacking a “stable behavior.” ‎

The Jomhouri Eslami daily is one of the oldest papers in the Islamic Republic and is ‎known to be affiliated closely with the supreme leader. ‎

In its editorial yesterday, Jomhouri Eslami criticized the judiciary for not defending the ‎reputation of people against false accusations, implicitly calling for Ahmadinejad’s ‎prosecution. The editorial criticized Ahmadinejad’s remarks about the Azad University ‎and Mousavian’s case and accused the President of interfering in the affairs of the ‎judiciary and undermining the principle of separation of powers. ‎

Ahmadinejad’s supporters have not yet responded to the recent attacks on Ahmadinejad. ‎Unless high Islamic Republic officials intrude and force a compromise like last time, it is ‎unlikely that Ahmadinejad will drop his calls for the prosecution of Azad University ‎officials. ‎