Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s centrist president from 2013 to 2021, no longer holds any official position. Last year, he was even barred from running for the Assembly of Experts, the body that supervises Iran’s Supreme Leader, in which he had held a seat since 2000. But he has used the crisis-ridden past year, which saw a 12-day war with Israel and America and the return of UN sanctions, to revamp his political profile.
In recent speeches and interviews, Mr Rouhani has boldly defended his time in office, including negotiations with the US which led to inking of a nuclear deal in 2015, and offered criticism of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the militia Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC.) Audaciously, he said that during the 12-day war the people of Iran rallied for their country but not for the regime and its rulers, thus refuting a central piece of the regime’s mythology around the attack. Another former president, Mohammad Khatami, has since made a similar claim.
This gambit clearly speaks to political ambition. With Mr Khamenei having turned 86 this year, various regime figures are already flexing muscles in anticipation of a succession crisis. Mr Rouhani represents a pragmatic faction, hoping to reset Iran’s relations with the West and soften some of its domestic repressive policies.
Worried about his potential to transform the regime, other factions have come out guns blazing against Mr Rouhani in recent days. Tensions were raised earlier this month, when a leaked video emerged showing Ali Shamkhani, a political rival of Mr Rouhani who once served as his national security adviser, at his daughter’s wedding.
In the video, Mr Shamkhani poses with his daughter, who is wearing a low-cut, strapless wedding dress that would be considered wholly inappropriate by the regime’s standards. The sense of scandal is heightened by the fact that Mr Shamkhani, a veteran IRGC commander, currently sits in the Defence Council as Mr Khamenei’s representative. Mr Shamkhani’s defenders accuse the Rouhani camp of being behind the leak.
Several IRGC figures have come out against Mr Rouhani since. Mohammad Ali Jafari, a former top IRGC commander, accused Mr Rouhani of placing limits on IRGC’s budget during his time in office. Bagher Ghalibaf, another former commander who is now Iran’s parliamentary Speaker, attacked Mr Rouhani and his former foreign minister, Javad Zarif, for their criticism of Russia, one of Iran’s closest allies.
He was referring to a recent war of words between Mr Zarif and his erstwhile Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, after France and Britain successfully re-activated UN sanctions in Iran using a so-called “snapback mechanism” embedded in the 2015 deal. Mr Zarif said the mechanism was a replacement for a “very bad” proposal put forward by Russia and France. He went even further, suggesting Moscow thrives on Iran’s isolation.
A fluent English-speaker who spent years living in the US, Mr Zarif is a favourite target for the regime hardliners. But the attacks on Mr Rouhani are more severe and may be more consequential. On October 26, several MPs in the Iranian parliament shouted “Trial!” and even “Death to Feredyoon!”, using Mr Rouhani’s birth name.
Many of Rouhani’s loudest individual critics do not wield much political power by themselves. But with its massive control of wealth and power, the IRGC is a formidable presence, particularly if its commanders can band together
In the rowdy scene of Iranian politics, a war of words is nothing new. But as factional infighting heightens, it remains to be seen if any faction will take drastic action against its opponents. Many of Mr Rouhani’s loudest individual critics do not wield much political power by themselves. But with its massive control of wealth and power, the IRGC is a formidable presence, particularly if its commanders can band together.
At the same time, not everyone has been drawn into the fight. The judiciary, a power centre in its own right, once prosecuted Mr Rouhani’s brother and top aide, Hossein Fereydoon, but it is now led by Ghollamhosein Mohseni Ezhei, who is not a hardliner.
Mr Rouhani’s allies, moreover, have to come to his defence. Hesamoddin Ashna, perhaps his closest adviser, has spoken out against Mr Ghalibaf and IRGC leaders. He urged the Guard “not to open the Pandora’s box” and has threatened to reveal secrets about their financial dealings.
There would be much to reveal. A few years ago, a voice note leaked of Mr Jafari complaining to another senior IRGC commander about corruption in its elite Quds Force branch, as well as Tehran’s municipality offices and other bodies. This is thought to be the tip of the iceberg. As an old regime hand and son-in-law of a powerful former intelligence minister, Mr Ashna has the resources to make good on his threat.
In a recent speech, Ayatollah Khamenei called on regime factions to unite. So long as he is alive and in charge, the infighting remains relatively limited. But everyone is still preparing for the succession crisis that appears sure to arrive after his death.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Semi-final fixtures
Portugal v Chile, 7pm, today
Germany v Mexico, 7pm, tomorrow
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE SPECS
BMW X7 xDrive 50i
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission
Power: 462hp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh600,000
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh400%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
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4am-7am – Main card
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Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
