Who rules Iran? The June 2009 election and political turmoil

The tumultuous 2009 election in Iran demonstrated that Islam is not a homogenous religion, but rather it presents itself in different ways and is rooted within social classes. Indeed, the rupture within the ruling establishment between the populists and reformists shows that the Islamic Republic does not represent a 7th-century medieval ideology nor a radical regime with widespread support. How well the Islamic Republic will come out of this unscathed remains to be seen as the US-led sanctions increase economic and political pressure upon both the current ruling elites and the opposition