Iran state TV censors Ahmadinejad video clip

Iran's state television has censored a video clip that showed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemning recent arrests of his close allies.

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), which is under the direct control of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, transmitted only an edited version of the remarks made by Ahmadinejad after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, removing any mention of his comments over the arrests.

In reaction to the broadcaster's move, Ahmadinejad's official website published the full version of the video, in which the president warned opponents off his cabinet and said detaining members was "a red line" that should not be crossed.

In the unedited version he said: "I will hold myself responsible to defend the cabinet … the cabinet is a red line and if they want to touch the cabinet, then defending it is my duty."

Ahmadinejad also said the campaign against his allies was politically motivated and aimed at putting pressure on his government.

A number of people close to Ahmadinejad and his confidant and chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent weeks after being accused of various charges that included corruption and sorcery.

Since an extraordinary power struggle emerged between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei in April,, state media have challenged the president's version of events several times.

State television shunned the president in April when he was blocked access to a live show in which he reportedly intended to clarify the issues surrounding his confrontation with conservatives. The president was instead given an opportunity to speak to an interviewer on a TV programme that limited his discussions to other issues including Iran's foreign policy.

Safir, an Iranian news website published an article about the IRIB's broadcast of Ahmadinejad's remarks, in which it said the release of the full version of the clip on non-official media was a message from the president that he was still capable of spreading his voice in the face of censorship.

"The video clip of the president's remarks was not broadcast by any of the official media ... A president's video has never before been broadcast in such a restricted and controlled atmosphere," Safir said in the article.

In the face of the confrontation, many have already called Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a lame-duck president while others believe he still has a chance to survive.

Source: Guardian