Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s preeminent leader, lately propelled a direct hit on Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an ex Iranian President, who while rising from the ashes is heading a coalition comprising the conservatives mainly recognized as sober minded or pragmatics and within Iran termed as reformists.

As twitter, now-a-days, is the easiest way to send out a message, Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s has tweeted “The world of tomorrow is a world of dialogue, not missiles.” In light of the fact that by March 8, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) tested two long-range ballistic missiles, Rafsanjani’s tweet is conveys an important message.

Iran’s supreme leader was quick to respond to Rafsanjani’s tweet. He thrashed Rafsanjani saying the individuals who place the nation’s future in negotiations instead of rockets are “either insensible or swindlers”. Many sources in Iran translated these statements of Khamenei as a declaration against Rafsanjani.

The missile tests also started mayhem among American government officials as the missiles were suspected to be capable of carrying nuclear arms.

Since the releasing of statement by Iran’s supreme leader, Rafsanjani is being grilled by hardliners from every corner of the country. The Iranian hardliners state that Rafsanjani is among the leaders who are trying to weaken the defense of the country. They are calling for strict action against the likes of Rafsanjani.

Similarly, Sadeq Larijani, the leader of Iranian court and the person in line to become Iran’s next supreme leader, responded to Rafsanjani on twitter saying, “The political stage ought not be open to the people who try to weaken Iranian military capacities along with its beliefs and standards.”

Rafsanjani’s rise in popularity is an interesting one. He completed his presidential term in 1997 as the most disliked political figure in Iran. Today, the conservatives as well as the proponents of change have assembled behind him.

Rafsanjani won over 2.3 million votes in the 26 February elections for the Assembly of Experts, the body tasked with the supervision and race of Iran’s supreme leader. His votes surpassed every other candidate’s, running in the month of February for either Iran’s parliament or the Assembly of Experts.

Rafsanjani’s underlying tweet was reconsidered, and he said that his unique explanation was wrongly interpreted. The reconsidered tweet read, “The universe of tomorrow is the universe of the talks like the Islamic Revolution’s, not intercontinental ballistic rockets and nuclear weapons.” He included that “we haven’t had and don’t have a superior pioneer than Ayatollah Khamenei.”

Rafsanjani has been at odds with Iran’s pioneer over the issue of having stringent controls on political and social freedoms and also Iran’s relations with the West, especially the United States. He contends that connection with the US as a superpower is vital for the survival of Iran.

However, Ali Khamenei sees the predominance of Rafsanjani’s school of thought in Iran as the demise of the Islamic Revolution, of which he is the gatekeeper. Rafsanjani’s popularity and overwhelming votes as the leading figure in “the moderation current,” as they refer to themselves, which is in fierce rivalry with the conservatives, raised serious concerns in the latter faction led by Ayatollah Khamenei.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s skeptical position toward Rafsanjani fulfills the moderates, as well as quiets him and confines his intrigues. In the mean time, it prepares the preservationist camp to effectively enter the stage and go up against the control current.

Iran’s supremo likewise has a message for outsiders, particularly the Americans. This message set out somewhat like this: “On the off chance that you imagine, on the grounds, that the conservatives negotiated with you, chuckled, walked, and shook hands with you, and that our approach and  position toward you has transformed, you are dead off-base. What’s more, on the off chance that you were imagining that the acknowledgment of the JCPOA will prompt the conservatives picking up the high ground in Iran, you better reconsider.”

In any occasion, fathoming the Rafsanjani issue will remain a test to the preservationist foundation for quite a long time and years to come. It is normal that as the 2017 presidential race nears, the conflicts between the two camps will heighten considerably further.