Khamenei, a conservative cleric, is the supreme leader of the land and his religious ideology embodies the other main faction of Islamic society. Among the many political institutions controlled by the Islamic conservatives is the country's parliament, which supersedes the president in the enactment of legislation. But the distinct cleavage of Iranian society is not clear-cut. President Khatami is a leading religious cleric. Many of his supporters suggest that his efforts to bring democratic reform to Iran's repressive regime are too lax and timid.
Some radicals tend to favor a complete separation of church and state based on the American model.
Among Muslims, there are important differences between Sunnis and Shiites, the two main groups in Islam. Despite the dominance of religious clerics throughout the nation, there are differences between urban and rural branches of society as well. Finally, the army, which has always joined forces with Islamic leaders since the revolution, is an important actor in politics since it gives legitimacy to the side it favors. While the Iranian armed forces and security services are controlled by conservative elements, the army could splinter into conservative and reformist factions if differences grow. Legitimizing repressive policies Human rights organizations have condemned Medhi Fakhrzadeh's sentence as an attempt by the Islamic rulers to legitimize their coercive policies before President Khatami goes on a European tour.