Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had a busy August. He released a controversial video in which he condemned his successor Hassan Rouhani’s handling of the economy and published an open letter to US President Donald Trump, urging him to release the names of relatives of Iranian officials who hold green cards. He also performed Eid al-Adha prayers among Sunni Iranians in northeastern Golestan province.
All of this occurred against the backdrop of heightened tension between him and the political establishment. Having stayed silent for most of Rouhani’s first term, he has made harsh public criticism over the past year and is waging a war of words with Iran’s powerful judiciary.