During his eight years in office former reformist Iranian President Mohamed Khatami struggled to assert his authority in the face of relentless pressure from regime hardliners. He left the presidency in 2005 frustrated, with many of his supporters disillusioned.

His successor, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, has had a dramatically different experience. Emboldened by high oil prices and backed by a more united regime, he has been in greater control of domestic policy – the main job of a president in the Iranian political system. In recent months, he forced out two ministers and the governor of the central bank for refusing to carry out his economic policies.