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 Many Westerners had expected an altogether different reaction to
the killings two weeks ago at the Paris weekly that had published
satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
Still fresh in their memory is the "fatwa" issued in 1989 by Iran's
first religious Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini,
ordering the death of British author Salman Rushdie for allegedly
insulting the Prophet in his book "The Satanic Verses".
Some 25 years on, Iran's stance must be viewed in light of the
bitter sectarian rivalry in the Middle East between Shi'ite and
Sunni Muslims, political analysts say.
The Paris attack was claimed by al-Qaeda, a leading Sunni militant
movement which, along with its offshoot Islamic State, Shi'ite power
Iran regards as a serious threat to its allies in Syria, Iraq and
Lebanon.
Iran is also treading a delicate line as it seeks to strike a deal
with Western powers - including France - over its nuclear program to
put an end to the sanctions that have crippled its economy.
 In a Friday prayer speech in Tehran two days after the Jan. 7
Charlie Hebdo attack, which saw gunmen kill 12 people, conservative
cleric Ahmad Khatami denounced the violence.
"We strongly condemn the terrorist attack in France and believe
Islam does not allow the killing of innocent people, be it in Paris,
Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan or Afghanistan," said the hardliner -
who last year said the fatwa to kill Rushdie was still in place.
But he also used the opportunity to criticize Western countries,
which Tehran accuses of supporting some Sunni militants, such as
factions of the Syrian opposition.
"U.S. dollars, UK pounds and the European Union's euros are to blame
for these killings," said Khatami, according to Press TV. "These
terrorists are your creation and have been nurtured by political
support from you and your allies."
This was not an isolated message from an individual cleric, but came
straight from the top, according to analysts.
"It was a high-level decision of the Islamic Republic. The topics of
the Friday prayers are issued from a single source," said Roozbeh
Mirebrahimi, an Iran analyst based in New York.
"The Friday prayer imams are sent talking points to tell them what
issues to discuss."
And rather than this Iranian reaction representing any reversal, it
simply reinforced Tehran's standard line of condemning Sunni
"terrorism" and blaming the West for inciting it, said Karim
Sadjadpour, an Iran analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace.
The Iranian foreign ministry could not be immediately reached for
comment.
MIXED MESSAGES
The hostility between the two sects of Islam stems from the regional
rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose strict brand of
Wahhabism has inspired Sunni militant groups like al-Qaeda, Islamic
State and the Nusra Front.
Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard are fighting Sunni militants
in both Iraq and Syria. A senior guard commander was killed in
fighting in Iraq in late December and another was killed in an
alleged Israeli air strike in Syria at the weekend.
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The condemnation of the Paris attack was also linked to Iran's
sensitive position in the ongoing nuclear negotiations to end a
decade-long stand-off with the West, analysts say, something
President Hassan Rouhani has staked a great deal of political
capital on.
Tehran may have been unwilling to keep silent in case this was
interpreted as tacit approval for the attacks.
"The Islamic Republic's current foreign policy is that they want to
advance the nuclear negotiations and reach a result," said
Mirebrahimi.
"They don't want to give an excuse to other countries to link them
to a particular incident. After the attacks, there was widespread
condemnation around the world so they showed solidarity with this."
However, inside Iran the government was sending a different message.
A group of journalists who tried to hold a rally in support of the
Charlie Hebdo victims the day after the attack was swiftly
dispersed.
And after Charlie Hebdo published a picture of the Prophet on its
cover following the attack, the climate changed markedly.
The Mardom-e Emrouz daily was shut down for printing a picture of
George Clooney wearing a "Je Suis Charlie" badge on its front page.
The reformist newspaper was criticized by religious hardliners for
not including a condemnation of the insulting cartoons.
And several hundred Islamist protesters turned out for a
demonstration in front of the French embassy earlier this week
chanting "Death to France" and demanding the ejection of the French
ambassador.
The mixed messages from Iranian officials and clergy could have
diplomatic consequences.
"The Iranian government prevented journalists from marching in
solidarity with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre yet it
organized flag-burning protests against the French embassy,"
Sadjadpour said.
"That hasn't ingratiated them to a French nuclear negotiating team
that is deeply cynical about the nature of the Iranian regime."
(Editing by Pravin Char)
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