Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has been heckled during an annual pro-Palestinian rally in Tehran, a week after he was criticised by the supreme leader, as a power struggle between the two appeared to escalate.

Rouhani, who was participating in the Quds rally, which is held on the last Friday of Ramadan, had to be rushed to his car after protesters shouted slogans comparing him to Abolhassan Banisadr, the country’s first president who was impeached and later exiled after falling foul of the clerical establishment.



“Rouhani, Banisadr, happy marriage,” protesters chanted. There were also shouts of “Death to liar, death to American mullah”.

This month, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, humiliated Rouhani in public, saying he should not polarise the society in the same way – in Khamenei’s opinion – that Banisadr did.

“In 1980-81 the then president polarised society in two camps, and divided the country into opponents and supporters; this should not be repeated,” the 78-year-old ayatollah said last week, prompting retaliatory remarks by Rouhani.

The heckling at Friday’s rally indicates Khamenei has given his hardline supporters carte blanche to attack the president, who increased his mandate by 5m votes with a landslide victory in last month’s election.



The issue at the heart of the power struggle is “whether the civil society has a role and right to govern or not”, Banisadr told the Guardian on Friday, adding that this was the main difference between totalitarianism and democracy.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photograph: Caren Firouz/Reuters

“From when velayat-e-faghih [the rule by the Islamic jurist] was put in place, they were concerned about the connection of the country’s second most powerful person [president] and the civil society,” the 84-year-old said from exile in France.

“They want to cut this link no matter what. During my time, they closed down universities and carried out executions to undercut the civil society and make it passive. Now Mr Khamenei is worried, particularly if he dies, because Mr Rouhani is saying that his successor should obtain people’s vote.”

Banisadr said a similar undercutting was taking place now. Khamenei’s recent use of the phrase atash-be-ekhtiar (free to shoot) has been interpreted by some observers as giving a green light to hardline supporters to interfere in domestic politics.



“Mr Khamenei has signalled that he would tolerate Rouhani if the president decided to keep a low profile, otherwise he’ll face the fate of Banisadr, my fate. The warning is serious,” the former president said.

Rouhani has remained defiant in the face of pressure. On Thursday, he implied that the powerful Revolutionary Guards, which are controlled by Khamenei, act as a parallel government, albeit one equipped with arms and access to media.

“Presidency is to be connected to the people,” Banisadr said, referring to the fact that people directly vote for the president, while “the supreme leader’s function is exactly the opposite”, referring to his presumed divine powers. “By nature, they won’t get along.”

