According to the Iranian site Balatarin, Ahmad Jannati, the chairman of the Guardian Council and the Friday prayer Imam of Tehran, has suffered a stroke and is in coma. Reports from Iran suggest that he has been taken to the Baghiyatollah hospital under tight security measures.

Ahmad Jannati has been a key figure in supporting Ahmadinejad and has often called for the execution of all protesters. He is a hardline fundamentalist cleric and the founder of the Haghani school promoting the end of times for the re-appearance of Mahdi, the Shiite’s 12th Imam.

His Views:

People are increasingly inclined towards the Quran, towards Islam, towards the Islamic Revolution and the Imam [Khomeini]. Just like this movement destroyed the monarchical regime here, it will definitely destroy the arrogant rule of hegemony of America, Israel, and their allies… At the end of the day, we are an anti-American regime. America is our enemy, and we are the enemies of America. The hostility between us is not a personal matter. It is a matter of principle. We are in disagreement over the very principles that underlie our revolution and our Islam.

You cried: Death to the Shah, and indeed, he died. You cried: Death to Israel, and it is now on its deathbed. You cry: Death to America, and before long, Allah willing, the prayer for the dead will be recited over it.

“God ordered the prophet Muhammad to brutally slay hypocrites and ill-intentioned people who stuck to their convictions. Quran insistently orders such deaths. May God not forgive anyone showing leniency toward the corrupt on Earth.”