Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Iran Parliament Warns Ahmadinejad on Intelligence Minister

The Majlis, Iran’s parliament, today warned President Mahmoud Ahmadineajd to obey an order from the country’s supreme leader to reinstate Iran’s intelligence minister.

The minister, Haidar Moslehi, was pushed out of the cabinet on Sunday in a rift with Ahmadinejad, but Ayatollah Khamenei ordered him to remain as intelligence minister. Moslehi showed up for work today, but the pro-government website dolatyar.com reported that Ahmadinejad doesn’t recognize him as intelligence minister. The post was later removed from the site but Ahmadinejad’s official website still carried the report of Moslehi’s resignation with no mention of Khamenei’s order of his reinstatement.

A statement signed today by 216 Majlis members, more than two-thirds of the 290-seat parliament, warned Ahmadinejad that Majlis expects nothing but “total obedience to the (Supreme Leader’s) order without any questions” [Fars News Agency, 20 April].

The rare public display of disunity among the country’s senior leadership started last week when Ahmadinejad’s closest ally and chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, was forced out of office by hardliners who considered his championship of the Iranian identity of the Islamic Republic a direct challenge to the country’s clerical establishment. The intelligence minister Moslehi, himself a hardliner cleric, was thought to be behind the push to oust Mashaie.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

GOOD jOB FROM PARLAMENT
Ahmadi nejad seems to be a implulsive character.

Fire a minister baecause of a controvery or dispute is not right.

Anonymous said...

This actually provides a good civics lesson on the interplay between Iran's different branches of government, particularly with a bold president in office.

Anonymous said...

They did not warn, but put on notice.

but if it makes it sound more dramatic ? then please.. feel free and use your journalistic expressions :)

Anonymous said...

LOL
The Anno April 21, 2011 4:21 AM

is correct, there is no warning.
here the short and simple letter of Paralment to ahmadi Nejad
http://www.isna.ir/ISNA/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-1751559&Lang=P

I can not find any warninig there.
Uskowi please be more accurate

Nader Uskowi said...

“Changing the minister of intelligence… during these critical times was not in the national interests of the country. Fortunately, out great leader of the revolution had the foresight to correct the problem. From the point of view of the Islamic Consultive Majlis, the honorable Mr. Moslehi is still the minister of intelligence and we expect your honor to obey the orders of the great leader of the revolution and to take an unambiguous position in support of the minister of intelligence and thereby to put an end to the misuse of the situation by the enemies of the revolution.”

That’s the English translation of Majlis’s letter. Anon 4:21 AM is objecting to the use of the word “warning,” arguing that Majlis only put Ahmadinejad “on notice.” Anon 5:50 AM gas kindly sent the Persian text of the letter, saying this was a “simple letter” and no warning. I believe you both need to read the letter again!