The Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has made a fierce attack on the United States, saying its government and media are dominated by Zionists. It follows a call by the Iranian President earlier this month for dialogue with the American people - seen as the strongest gesture of reconciliation since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. And as our regional reporter, Caroline Hawley, reports, it is a further sign of a continuing power struggle between conservatives and reformers in Iran.

This was vintage Iranian rhetoric, a sharp contrast to what American officials have described as a new tone coming out of Iran in recent months. Ayatollah Khamenei said the United States government and Congress were - in his words - under the spell of Zionists, and he accused the international media of trying to create discord and division in Iran.

Mohammed Khatami

In fact, his comments have only reinforced the deep divisions that have emerged in Iran since the election in May of President Khatami. Mohammed Khatami's surprise victory on a platform of change was a massive blow to the conservative clergy, led by Ayatollah Khamenei, who've ruled Iran for the past 18 years.

Over the past few months, they've faced unprecedented criticism -- even from some of their fellow clerics who'd like to see the role of the Supreme Leader cut back. But Iran's conservatives, forced on the defensive, are now re-asserting themselves.

The Supreme Leader still has the final say in Iran, and the power to veto any foreign policy initiative. Earlier this month, President Khatami said he wanted to start a dialogue with the people of the United States - and he's reported to have been planning a television address to them.

The Supreme Leader's comments appear to be an attempt to show that it's he, not the President, who'll call the shots on Iran's relations with the United States.
 

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