WASHINGTON: Sanctions against Iran may be causing a rift between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday.

“We even have some evidence that Khamenei, now, (is) beginning to wonder if Ahmadinejad is lying to him about the impact of the sanctions on the economy.

And whether he's getting the straight scoop in terms of how much trouble the economy really is in,” Gates told the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, renewing his position that sanctions were having an impact. – Reuters