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After the turmoil of the last two months, at [the] last moment when Mr. Ahmadinejad could restore his dignity, pledging to serve Iran for another four years.  

But look closely and you can see some empty seats. The ceremony in the Iranian parliament was boycotted by some reformist MPs and opposition leaders.Britain and other European countries sent ambassadors, but no messages of congratulations. That provoked a bitter repulse from Mr. Ahmadinejad.

"Nobody in Iran is waiting for your congratulations. The Iranian nation does not give importance either to your frowns and threats, or to your congratulations and smiles."

But in many ways, the president’s problems are just beginning. He has two weeks to form a government which must be endorsed by the increasingly hostile parliament. The opposition against the man includes former presidents Rafsanjani, Khatami, the man who believes he won the election--Mir-Hossein Mousavi and a number of conservative former allies. And the West is ramping up the pressure for early talks on the nuclear issue.

"The country is more divided than it’s ever been since the 1979 revolution. I would argue that Ahmadinejad is the most divisive political figure in the 30-year history of [the] Islamic Republic, and he’s shown no interest of trying to heal these political rifts."

Once again, thousands of demonstrators defied a huge police and militia presence outside the parliament to stage new protests. Not big enough to unseat the government perhaps, but enough to keep Mr. Ahmadinejad’s new administration off-balance.

"Lots of police deployed at Baharestan Square...and never let any person just stand in front of the parliament who will make any demonstration or shouting and anything else."

So despite today’s show of unity, President Ahmadinejad starts his new term with his election victory and increasingly the whole Iranian system of government under serious question.

Glossary [only for reference] 

repulse: a refusal or rejection

frown [countable]: the expression on your face when you move your eyebrows together because you are angry, unhappy, or confused

endorse [transitive]: to express formal support or approval for someone or something

ramp sth up [phrasal verb]: to increase the speed, power or cost of something

divided: not united

divisive: causing a lot of disagreement between people

heal the(se) rift(s) [intransitive and transitive]: if an argument or disagreement between people heals or you heal it, the people stop arguing or disagreeing

defy [transitive]: to refuse to obey a law or rule, or refuse to do what someone in authority tells you to do

stage [transitive]: to organize a public event

unseat [transitive]: to remove someone from a powerful job or position

off-balance: in an unsteady position and likely to fall

under question: if there is something under question, there is doubt about it, or people feel uncertain about it