BREAKING NEWS

Hard-line cleric ups pressure on Iranian president

Prominent hard-line cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami warned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday that his legitimacy will be undermined if he continues to defy the supreme leader's order to dismiss his top deputy. Khatami told worshipers during Friday prayers that the underlying foundation of Iran's Islamic system was the acceptance of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's judgment. Ahmadinejad has angered his hard-line supporters by sticking by Esfandiar Rahim Mashai as his choice for vice president despite Khamenei's opposition.