Key Player: Hossein-Ali Montazeri

Hossein-Ali Montazeri is the highest ranked religious figure in Iran and the second highest ranking Ayatollah in all of Shii Islam behind Ayatollah Sistani of Iraq. Despite such prominence and religious standing, he has been pushed aside by the regime and forced into near house arrest. He has been one of the fieriest critics of the regime and has deeply criticized what has happened since the election. He is a hero to the reformist movement and leads the religious opposition to the regime.

Montazeri studied to become a cleric in the Iranian holy cities of Mashad and Qom. While in Qom, he became a follower and assistant of Ayatollah Khomeini. When Khomeini went into exile in 1963, Montazeri was one of the main organizers of the religious opposition to the Shah. This would eventually lead to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the Shah of Iran.

Montazeri was a close associate of Khomeini after the revolution and played a key role in forming the new Islamic Republic. He became the prayer leader for Tehran which means he would conduct the Friday Prayers every week. He also played a key role in drafting the Iranian constitution and was a supporter of an Islamic democracy. In fact many of the democratic and liberal portions of the constitution were put in by Montazeri.

At a time when no one questioned the violations of human rights by Khomenei, Montazeri bravely spoke out in 1989 against the executions of political prisoners. He argued that human rights should be respected and Iran's militant foreign policy should end. Montazeri was supposed to be Khomeini's successor as Supreme Leader, but his belief in human rights cost him this position. Instead a relatively low ranking cleric Khamenei became Supreme Leader and Montazeri was removed from the government.

Montazeri continued to speak out against the violations of the regime and was one of the leading proponents of the so called reform movement in Iran. He presented another picture of Shii Islam for the people and began to gain a large following. He was especially popular among many of the leaders of the current opposition movement and served as a sort of religious mentor.

Montazeri immediately condemned the rigged presidential election and called for a respect of the will of the people. In fact, he went so far as to issue a fatwa saying that the government of Ahmadinejad was illegitimate. According to his student Mohsen Kadivar, this had only happened during the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 and the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Montazeri has continued to put out statements against the regime and is the harshest critic of those in power among the Ayatollahs.

Despite his high age, he is 87, Montazeri continues to remain active and serves as the grandfather of the opposition movement. He is admired by all in the reformist camp and continues to put out statements in support of freedom and democracy. Montazeri will be important going forward to see if he can rally religious support to overthrow the current regime.