Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani gave an address Wednesday night strongly criticizing the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on multiple issues, ranging from the economy to dealing with the aftermath of the June elections. Larijani also blamed the nation’s political turmoil on extremists on both sides of the political divide, saying their dispute discouraged foreign investment and encouraged Iran’s enemies to take advantage of the situation.

Larijani’s speech, which he gave in the central provinces, highlighted the frustrations of traditional conservatives in the aftermath of the June 12 presidential election. They are alienated on one hand by Ahmadinejad’s ultra-conservative camp with its heavy-handed foreign and economic policies, which politicians like Larijani view as inept and inefficient. But on the other, traditional conservatives dislike the Green Movement’s calls for sweeping reform, feeling that they are agitators tainted with Western ideology.