After comparing recently deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Jesus Christ and the hidden Imam, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continued to draw criticism at home for another sort of embrace. Iranian officials blasted the Iranian president after pictures emerged of him hugging the late Chavez' mother. The photos were considered inflammatory as religious Islamic tradition prohibits physical contact between men and women who are neither married nor related. Following the dissemination of photos showing Ahmadinejad embracing 78-year-old Elena Frias de Chavez, Ahmadinejad's detractors claimed he had undermined the religious pride of the Islamic republic and defied religious authority. The outrage over the embrace comes as Iran prepares for presidential elections, set to take place in June. Ahmadinejad's camp is seen at odds with those aligned with the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the friction continues to escalate as each side seeks opportunities to mar the other. Iranian news outlet Mehr quoted Mohamed Taqi Rahbar, parliamentarian and religious leader in the city of Isfahan, of accusing Ahmadinejad of "losing control ... shaking the hand of a woman who is not a relative is not allowed under any circumstance. Hugs or displays of emotion are not befitting of a president's honor in a country like the Islamic Republic of Iran." Senior Iranian clerics have criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for saying Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will be resurrected alongside Jesus Christ and the hidden imam, whom Shi'ite Muslims believe will rise up to bring world peace. Iran declared a day of national mourning on Wednesday after the death of Chavez, who shared the Islamic Republic's loathing for what they both called U.S. imperialism. Ahmadinejad was among at least two dozen leaders who travelled to Venezuela to attend Chavez's funeral on Friday. In a condolence letter posted on his personal website on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad said he was certain that Chavez "will return" along with Jesus Christ and Imam Mahdi, whom devout Shi'ite Muslims believe went into hiding in the 10th century and will reappear one day to spread justice in the world. But Ahmadinejad's comments angered some religious officials in Iran. "The terms Mr. Ahmadinejad used to describe the Venezuelan president are not appropriate for us," the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Ghorbanali Dorri Najafabadi, a cleric and a senior member of the Assembly of Experts, as saying. Ahmadinejad, whose second and final term in office ends in June, has increasingly fallen afoul with more conservative elements within Iran's establishment. Ahmadinejad and Chavez had sought closer ties between their geographically distant countries, although action on joint social and military projects often lagged behind their rhetoric. Chavez died on Tuesday at that age of 58 after a two-year battle with cancer. The U.S. had looked askance at Venezuela's warm relationship with Iran, fearing that Caracas could give Tehran an economic lifeline as it struggles to stave off pressure from sanctions over its nuclear activities.