"At a period unprecedented in the history of our nation, officials must sincerely apologies to the people for their shortcomings and as we are surrounded from all sides, if there is any cup of poison to be taken, it is better that it is taken before the whole of the regime collapses, but more important than that, the independence and security of the nation are seriously threatened", the signatories told Mr. Khameneh’i.

"These organs must be at the service of the Iranian nation and serve the people, not one political group", the signatories observed, asking Mr. Khameneh’i to take side, saying if he approves of the CG’s interpretation of the Constitution and the concentration of all powers in the hands of the leader or he backs the present Constitution and obey it".

The letter was written on 21 of May and published by some Iranian internet websites, including the Iranian Students News Agency ISNA, but they withdrew it immediately on orders from the authorities, demanding those that had seen it not to use or mention it.

In the letter, legislators said the only solution for saving the establishment was to carry out "fundamental changes" in un-elected institutions controlled by the conservatives and to allow reforms to be implemented, or face disappearance.

Observers said the unprecedented direct and uncompromising tone of the warnings to Mr. Khameneh’i reminded the last days of the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979, when many nationalist personalities, forecasting the dangers ahead, would advise him to return to democratic rules, but he would not accept.

"This is a real fin de regne (end of the reign). Khameneh’i would not act different from the late Shah, who refused to take heed of any advise from sincere people who wanted to save the regime, until it was tool late", one former minister observed.

Other conservatives had threatened the signatories of the controversial letter to stage national demonstration against them.

The deputies compared the present situation of the country to those that prevailed during WW11, when Iran was occupied by the Allied forces, and at the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, and regretted that none of their previous "friendly advises and silent proposals" produced any result.

"Most of the people are unsatisfied and hopeless, the elite is silent or is leaving, and investments are flying. While there is no much time left, at a time that the country is surrounded from all sides by foreign forces and that the United States is behaving without any restriction, there is no other choice but to either "bow sincerely to the people’s demands, return to full democratic principles and the rule of law and the Constitution or continue the road to dictatorship, one which would inevitably lead to the disintegration of the regime", the deputies told the leader.

The petitioners blamed the huge gap between the people and the authorities on the Council of the Guardians, the Radio and Television, the Judiciary and the Revolutionary Guards and in a reference to the case of former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who did not received enough votes in the last parliamentary elections, observed that personalities who had been rejected by the people are placed at the head of organs that directly under the control of Mr. Khameneh’i.

The letter was sent to the leader one day after the 12 members Council of the Guardians rejected President Khatami’s second bill, aiming at curtailing some of most unpopular rights of the CG in the one hand and enhancing those of the president on the other.

Several members of the Majles had suggested that both Mr. Khatami and all the reformist deputies should resign en mass and call for a national referendum in case the Guardians rejected his bills.