Firebrand cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi believes the authority of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes from God, not from the people.

"When a president is endorsed by the vali-ye faqih, obeying the president is like obeying God," the daily quoted Mr. Mesbah-Yazdi as saying.

Mr. Khamenei swiftly endorsed Mr. Ahmadinejad's re-election after the June 12 presidential vote which was followed by the biggest anti-government protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The losing candidates say the poll was rigged, a charge denied by Iran's authorities, including Mr. Khamenei, who has accused Western powers of fomenting the vote unrest.

Mr. Mesbah-Yazdi has long held that democracy and elections are incompatible with Islam. Mr. Ahmadinejad's allies deny the president takes orders from the cleric, who is a defender of the supreme leader's absolute power.

"When a president is ... endorsed by the supreme leader and becomes an agent of the leader, the leader's light is also shed on the president," Mr. Mesbah-Yazdi said.