Iran Chief Eclipses Power of Clerics - New York Times

Good article

Iran Chief Eclipses Power of Clerics - New York Times: "In this theocratic system, where appointed religious leaders hold ultimate power, the presidency is a relatively weak position. In the multiple layers of power that obscure the governance of Iran, no one knows for certain where the ultimate decisions are being made. But many of those watching in near disbelief at the speed and aggression with which the president is seeking to accumulate power assume that he is operating with the full support of Ayatollah Khamenei.

'Usually the supreme leader would be the front-runner in all internal and external issues,' said Hamidreza Taraghi, the political director of the strongly conservative Islamic Coalition Party. 'Here we have the president out front on all these issues, and the supreme leader is supporting him.'"