Bad news hammered Iran’s hard-line president today as a restless parliament rejected major elements of his proposed budget, a powerful cleric defeated his ally for a key post and a former prime minister announced that he was gunning for his job in upcoming elections.The setbacks suggest the multiple vulnerabilities of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as an emboldening of his rivals, ahead of June elections that could heavily influence the country’s relations with the West and its domestic political climate.
