In a statement published to commemorate the anniversary of ayatollah Beheshti’s passing, Assembly of Experts and Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani described the Islamic Republic’s situation as “chaotic.”

Referring indirectly to the post-2009-election events, Hashemi Rafsanjani wrote, “Despite all the advice from our leader, we now lack the tolerance that we used to have, perhaps because of the current gloom.”

In the statement, which was published on his personal website, Rafsanjani wrote, “We do not tolerate the kindest of criticisms, and do not recognize the evil plans of enemies disguised as friends. We view divisiveness to be honesty, insult to be candor, lies to be fact, slander to be bravado and slogans to be insight.”

In a direct reference to ayatollah Khamenei, he wrote, “Our enemies have multiplied but our ability to identify the enemies has decreased. Enemies disguised as friends have infiltrated our ranks and muddied our windows to the future. Daily routines are making us nervous.”

The Islamic republic supreme leader uses the word “enemy” in his speeches more than any other leader and often asks government officials to “identify the enemies.”

Recalling the events of June 28, 1971 (ie the explosion that killed over 70 leaders of the Islamic republic), Hashemi Rafsanjani added, “Twenty-nine years have passed since those days, twenty-nine years every day of which carries an event in its memory. The young revolution is evolving, despite all the highs and lows. The Imam (ie ayatollah Khomeini) is not with us, but his will and collection of spoken, written and other works remain guide us on our path. The enemies remain, but they have changed colors. They have kept their arrows of insults, accusations and lies. Every now and then, they throw arrows with closed eyes or open yes. Sometimes they hit the target, and sometimes they hit the rock, as has always been the case.”

This is not the first statement by Rafsanjani in which he directly or indirectly criticizes the leader of the Islamic republic. Since last year’s contested presidential election, he has indirectly criticized ayatollah Khamenei several times.

Rafsanjani’s most important reaction may have been the letter he wrote to the Islamic republic supreme leader following the election debates and only three days before the election. In that letter, he had warned of “bitter events” in the country, insisting that unless the supreme leader intervened the nation would plunge into “crisis.”

Following popular protests against the government’s announced election results, during a Friday prayer sermon Hashemi Rafsanjani called for the release of political prisoners and support for the families of the injured.  Media outlets close to the administration blasted Rafsanjani for his demands and used the expression coined by the supreme leader, “imperceptive confidants,” to refer to Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Meanwhile, Rafsanjani has repeatedly said in speeches and interviews that he continues to believe in the positions he laid out in his Friday prayer sermon.

With the publication of Rafsanjani’s latest statement, and reports of his meeting with ayatollah Khamenei, the power struggle in the Islamic republic’s highest orders appears to have intensified.