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TEH RAN — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme religious leader, responded to mounting domestic criticism of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a strong statement of support, praising his internal policies and his dogged defense of the country’s nuclear program, Iranian news media reported Sunday.
Senior clerics and politicians have intensified their criticism of Ahmadinejad, especially over Iran’s worsening economy. Inflation recently hit 26 percent.
The ayatollah has publicly backed Ahmadinejad on several occasions, but his support for the government over the weekend was considered exceptional because of its detailed look at domestic issues and his categorical statements that he and the president were in ideological accord.
