The world may be turning its attention to the next chapter in Iran’s nuclear drama – this week’s annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency‘s board of governors – but the growing tension inside Iran’s borders is also noteworthy. Political rifts are widening in Tehran, not only between Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, the hard-line president, and his moderate opponents, but also between Mr Ahmadi-Nejad’s rough-hewn clan (comprised mainly of Revolutionary Guards and basij volunteer militiamen) and the conservative insiders who have traditionally run the government. As these tensions peak, the US and Europe should work to exploit Iran’s turbulent, internal dynamic through a two-track strategy: launching dialogue with Mr Ahmadi-Nejad’s political rivals about mutually important issues and aggressively engaging with the Iranian people to promote democratic reform.

In his short time in office, Mr Ahmadi-Nejad has infuriated the moderate pragmatist camp, led by his chief rival, Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president. Only days after declaring that “Israel should be wiped off the map”, Mr Ahmadi-Nejad purged Iran’s diplomatic corps, firing 40 Iranian ambassadors, including several envoys involved in nuclear negotiations with European officials. The new president saw the moderate dispositions of these representatives as barriers to hardening Iran’s foreign policy stance.