Are the Larijani's the Kennedy's of Iran?

Time has come out with a new article in which they argue that the Larijani brothers can be compared to the Kennedy's in America in terms of the power they have. Given the recent appointment of Sadeq Larijani as head of the judiciary and Ali Larijani being Speaker of Parliament, it is hard to deny the amount of power they have in Iran.

Yet I would like to point out one key different, the Larijani's have alligned themselves with an unpopular Khamenei and they have thus become very unpopular in Iran. They have the potential to become a great political family Iran with great power and great public support like the Kennedy's, but they must first stand up to this regime. Anyways the article also raises the point of the Larijani's challenging Ahmadinejad:

The ill will between the Larijanis and Ahmadinejad is also rooted in a social class divide, according to Sadjadpour. The Larijani brothers are the progeny of the late Grand Ayatullah Mirza Hashem Amoli, a marja whose interpretations of Islam are considered binding by a following of devout Shi'ite Muslims. Some of his sons have also married into prominent clerical families, giving them status beyond politics. Ali Larijani represents Qum, the center of Islamic scholarship in Iran, in parliament. Ahmadinejad, by contrast, is the son of a blacksmith.

Over the years, the Larijani brothers have expressed realist positions on Iran's relations with the U.S. Mohammad Javad Larijani, who did doctoral work in mathematics at the University of California, has often urged an end to tensions. "Our country's relations with America are important in terms of our national interests," he said in a public debate a decade ago. "We should regard our relations with America realistically and without extremism, and weigh them with the criteria of our national interests."

But critics also charge that the Larijani brothers have risen so far as much from opportunism as political savvy. Many analysts believe Ali Larijani may be positioning himself to run for the presidency again after Ahmadinejad's term ends in 2013. "They are nakedly ambitious. Their overarching principle seems to be to position themselves wherever power lies," said Sadjadpour. "If the Shah were still in power, they'd be coveting him. And if Iran evolves into a democracy, they'll try and reinvent themselves as progressive democrats."