The president's critics include not just reformists and outright dissidents but many within the principlist camp.
ECONOMIST: Reformists will struggle in the presidential race in Iran
2.
Such quiet manoeuvring inside the principlist camp suggests a fear that either they, too, could find themselves split, or that the reformists will, despite Mr Khatami's absence, actually succeed in galvanising new voters.
ECONOMIST: Reformists will struggle in the presidential race in Iran
3.
Another prominent candidate, Ali Akbar Velayati, took a clear shot at Ahmadinejad by saying Iran needs a "principlist" as the next president meaning a conservative who will not question the authority of Khamenei or the ruling clerics.
NPR: Next Iran President Likely To Have Gentler Touch