MP's Rebuke Ahmadinejad + US Wrestlers Recieve Warm Greeting

While the US seems to be “Taunting Iran” and itching for war, the people of Iran are sending a different message.

The UK paper, The Guardian, is reporting the following story, which is quite possibly the most important political development in Iran since the 2005 presidential election:

“Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has suffered a potentially fatal blow to his authority after the country's supreme leader gave an apparent green light for MPs to attack his economic policies.

In an unprecedented rebuke, 150 parliamentarians signed a letter blaming Mr. Ahmadinejad for raging inflation and high unemployment and criticizing his government's failure to deliver the budget on time. They also condemned him for embarking on a tour of Latin America - from which he returns tomorrow - at a time of mounting crisis.

The supreme leader, who was hitherto loyal to the president, is said to blame Mr. Ahmadinejad for last month's UN resolution imposing sanctions over Iran's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, January 16, United States wrestlers were welcomed to Iran on Tuesday with bouquets of pink and white flowers and greeted by Iranian women in traditional dress.

“The 14 wrestlers will compete in the Persian Gulf Cup on Thursday and Friday. The tournament, also known as the Takhti Cup, is the top wrestling event in Iran, where the sport has been a national obsession for centuries…

In a small — but, for Iranians, significant — good-will gesture, the wrestlers from the United States were exempted from having their fingerprints taken as they entered the country. Iran imposed the fingerprint requirement after the United States imposed a similar rule on visiting Iranians. In 2003, Iran boycotted the world freestyle wrestling championships in New York because of the policy, which it sees as humiliating.”