Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad staunchly defended his record in office on Wednesday during an unprecedented grilling by the country's parliament, which is dominated by a majority intent on curtailing the president's powers.
The ultra-conservative allies of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fallen out of favour with, came out victorious in the first round of legislative elections. It's a major setback for Ahmadinejad, who is ending his second term weaker than before. Some in Iran fear that exposing its political divisions will play into the hands of the West at a time when Iran's under increasing pressure over its nuclear programme.
With the Iranian parliamentary election results favouring the allies of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, does this mean President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is now a lame duck leader? Annette Young puts the question to Iranian expert Karim Sadjadpour from the Carnegie Endowment.
Loyalists of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have won more than 75% of the seats in Iran's parliament, early results showed Sunday, dealing a severe blow to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and condemning him to serve out his term as a lame duck.
Iran's getting ready for its first election since Mahmud Ahmadinejad's disputed return to power. Three and a half thousand candidates are running for a seat in parliament, but pro reform candidates are not taking part: they've either been banned or are actively boycotting the poll. A vote that pits conservative hardliners against each other.
Iran's getting ready for its first election since Mahmud Ahmadinejad's disputed return to power. Three and a half thousand candidates are running for a seat in parliament, but pro reform candidates are not taking part: they've either been banned or are actively boycotting the poll. A vote that pits conservative hardliners against each other.
In a show of political defiance, Iran announced it was beginning the enrichment of uranium at an underground plant, which some Western countries believe is to produce nuclear arms. Iran maintains it is purely for civilian use. This latest diplomatic dispute comes in the wake of economic sanctions imposed by the US and threats from Iran to close a strategic waterway if Washington continues.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared united in public on Saturday, despite reports of a rift between them. Ahmadinejad has been under fire recently from the country's conservatives who accuse him of trying to increase his power by getting rid of certain ministers. But the Ayatollah seemed to defend the President at the weekend.
A new government is sworn in in Iraq... After months of haggling all of the main political factions come together.
It's being dubbed "the most racist city in Israel"... Anti-arab attacks are on the rise in Safed.
And as 2010 draws to an end, we look back on the main events - and the most memorable pictures of the year in the Middle East.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected the forthcoming findings of an international probe into the 2005 killing of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri, which is expected to rule against Lebanon’s pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah.
