Rafsanjani picked to head Iran's powerful assembly

Before going into Tuesday's closed-door session of the assembly, he told reporters: "At the same time as defending our rightful positions, we should not provoke and we should not provide an excuse (to Iran's enemies)."

Opponents of Ahmadinejad accuse the president of drawing the wrath of world powers and provoking U.N. sanctions in a standoff over Tehran's atomic plans because of firebrand speeches against the West. They say quiet diplomacy would be better.

The assembly is dominated by traditional conservatives, ardent supporters of Iran's system of clerical rule but some of whom are also seen as wary of Ahmadinejad's approach.

Analysts said Rafsanjani's win showed his skill in bridging more than one political camp and would enhance his standing with traditional conservatives in the seminaries of Qom, the heartland of the clerical establishment south of Tehran.

(Additional reporting by Hossein Jaseb and Zahra Hosseinian)