Dubai: He is being subjected to personal attacks and many of his family members have been arrested and threatened with legal action.
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the most powerful men in Iran, faces a growing campaign by the conservatives aimed at bringing him closer to their ranks in the political battle with the moderates which erupted after last June's presidential elections, experts in Iranian affairs said.
"The return of Rafsanjani to the conservative camp will have an impact on the general political, psychological and media status of the camp," prominent Iranian analyst Ameer Mousavi said.
But as long as Rafsanjani maintains his non-committal position, he represents a "tool [that might be used] against the conservatives," Mousavi explained to Gulf News.
The Iranian establishment has split over the Green Movement, two of its main pillars are the reformist candidates who lost the elections: Mir Hussain Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi.
The latest move against Rafsanjani came from parliament, immediately after several days holiday for Now Rouz (the Iranian New Year.)
Some 233 MPs in the 290-member legislative body recently called for tough measures against the "corrupt" in the country, and asked him to punish all those involved in such activities regardless of their "high rank in the society", a reference interpreted by some experts as targeting Rafsanjani and his family — a charge Rafsanjani has repeatedly denied.
The call was included in a letter addressed to the Head of the Ministry of Justice, Ayatollah Sadegh Ardishir Larijani. It coincided with unconfirmed press reports saying the spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had ordered the trial of two of Rafsanjani's children: Faiza and Mahdi.
Uneasiness
Rafsanjani has not criticised the moderates nor the chaos that followed the disputed presidential elections last June. However, he expressed disapproval and uneasiness with the position of hardliners and the manner in which the leadership handled the demonstrations in the aftermath of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in the elections.
Throughout the crisis following the results, the powerful Iranian politician has not even shown his total support for Khameini.
He is used to frequently lead Friday prayers which is usually carried live on TV. However, amid the street protests, Rafsanjani has almost vanished from the public scene.
While some analyses gave the impression that he is under siege, some of his family members were briefly arrested, including his daughter, Faiza, who condemned the police's use of force against the demonstrations.
Last month, the security services briefly arrested Rafsanjani's grandson, Hassan Lahooti. Later, a revolutionary Court accused Lahooti, whose phone was tapped, of criticising the supreme leader.
Rafsanjani's brother-in-law, Hussain Marashi, was also arrested and later released on charges of corruption.
Also, the former Chief of Staff during Rafsanjani's presidency was sent back to prison, according to Iranian newspapers. Marashi, who also served as former-vice-president to reformist former president Mohammad Khatami, was jailed in March after being found guilty of spreading propaganda against the Islamic regime and temporarily released to spend Now Rouz with his family.
"Conservatives want to settle the [political chaos] crisis this year. They don't want things to keep pending" the way they are, Mousavi said.
The conservatives, meanwhile, also seek to put an end to reformists' leaders public activities, including former president Mohammad Khatami, Karroubi and Mousavi.
"As long they continue their activities, they continue to be like the fire beneath the ashes and they enjoy a considerable popularity," one analyst said.
In the past few weeks, more than one rumour that leading reformists, mainly Khatami, has left Iran were spread. However, Khatami and his aides denied the rumour.
The recent rumour was spread after an unconfirmed report posted on one of the "credible" websites saying Khatami had renewed his passport and used a picture of him without wearing the traditional religious attire.
