In the days after the election, many officials had whispered that the Revolutionary Guard had taken control of the nation's security as a result of the unrest that followed the vote, which opposition leaders claim was stolen by Ahmadinejad.
But Jafari's comments came the closest yet to publicly acknowledging what government supporters describe as a heroic intervention by the Revolutionary Guard, which has been increasing its economic and political power over the last decade. Critics decry the guard's action as a palace "coup d'etat" instigated by military elites loyal to Khamenei, the guard's commander in chief.
Jafari described "a new stage of the revolution" that is worrisome to some Western observers.
"If this continues, Iran may be heading to a much more militarized system of politics," said Alireza Nader, an Iran specialist at the Rand Corp. "Before, there was give-and-take not only between the political institutions, but also the security organs. Now it looks like the [Revolutionary Guard] dominates all, even perhaps the Ministry of Intelligence."
In a speech Monday, Khamenei acknowledged the continuing strife within the establishment and society over the vote, but warned Western leaders against exploiting the nation's political turmoil for their own ends.
"The Western governments should be careful about their hostile words and behavior, because the Iranian nation will react," he told supporters on the occasion of the birthday of the Shiite saint Imam Ali.
"Even if the Islamic Republic leaders are at odds on certain affairs, they are united against the enemy as far as the safeguarding [of] the country's independence is concerned," he said in a speech broadcast on state television. The remarks came after Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. would not stop an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
But Khamenei also appeared to reach out to Mousavi supporters, after his deputies for weeks equated peaceful demonstrators with rioters.
"It is natural that some Iranians feel depressed and sad due to the failure of their preferred candidate," he said.
The statement by Rafsanjani's party, posted on reformist websites, demanded a restoration of public confidence after the vote count, an investigation into alleged violence against protesters, the release of political prisoners and the lifting of restrictions on media.
