The Iranian leadership are not happy with Iran's Prez

And they are looking for ways to rein him in. The all-powerful clerics who have the last say in national affairs appear to be watching developments closely. "The establishment is now thinking about how to contain this president whose actions risk global confrontation with Iran," said Davoud Hermidas Bavand, a professor of international relations at Tehran's Imam Sadeq University. It's not clear how far Iran's supreme ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, can comfortably back Ahmadinejad. So far, Khamenei has refused to say anything for or against Ahmadinejad since his anti-Israel comments. But some observers say Khamenei is not entirely pleased. He has increased the powers of the Expediency Council, which arbitrates between the parliament and the government. That effectively undercuts the authority of Ahmadinejad's government and hard-line voices in the parliament, many of them former military commanders opposed to the United States. "Khamenei is worried that Ahmadinejad, his trusted agent, is causing too many problems for Iran. It appears that Khamenei doesn't like everything Ahmadinejad does but wants to give him time," Bavand said. Meanwhile, moderates including former president Hashemi Rafsanjani have sought to dial back the rhetoric and assure the world that Ahmadinejad won't be allowed to turn Iran into a full-fledged rogue nation. Rafsanjani told King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia during a recent visit to Saudi Arabia that Ahmadinejad will be contained, a close aide to Rafsanjani said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Good to know.