Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election was legitimate since it had been confirmed by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. This message was spread today by Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, interim leader of the Friday prayers at Tehran University in an outrageous criticism of former president Mohammad Khatami who had called for a referendum on the legitimacy of the administration to end the nationwide unrest. And the nomination of Ahmadinejad’s first vice president, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, was not, since the Supreme Leader has expressed his dismay. Khatami urged Ahmadinejad to “obey [the leader] at the quickest time.” Mashaie, whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad’s son, had stressed last year his strong sentiment of Iran being friend with all nations, even the U.S. and Israel. Since then, he is under fire in Iran.

While even hardliners zero in on Ahmadinejad one might intuitively think that Ali Khamenei might seek an ultimate solution for the current political impasse: firing both, the ‘re-elected’ president and his veep. Irrespective of legitimacy.