In the past, he clipped the wings of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who had strong ties to the merchant class, and of Mohammad Khatami, a reformer whose support came from Westernized middle-class professionals. Though Ahmadinejad received the Supreme Leader’s support in the face of large-scale protests against his re-election last year, Khamenei does not appear hesitant about limiting the president’s power.