Tehran, April 28: Iran’s president on Wednesday shunned a Cabinet meeting for the second consecutive time this week, apparently showing his discontent over a recent government appointment by the country’s supreme leader.
There is a growing rift between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say in all Iranian state matters.
The confrontation stems from Ahmadinejad’s recent dismissal of the intelligence minister, Heidar Moslehi, who was ordered by the president to resign last week. The minister was then promptly reinstated by Khamenei in a public slap to the president.
On Saturday, Khamenei warned in a speech broadcast on state TV that he will intervene in the government’s affairs whenever necessary — a rebuke to Ahmadinejad for challenging his all-encompassing authority.
Although Khamenei ordered Moslehi to remain in the Cabinet, the president reportedly did not give in to the order and failed to officially invite Moslehi to Sunday’s session. Surprisingly, Moslehi showed up and Ahmadinejad abstained.
Iranian media reported that Moslehi attended the Cabinet session Wednesday but Ahmadinejad again abstained.
The Ahmadinejad-Khamenei discord could destabilize Iran from within. The country is at odds with the West and under UN sanctions over its controversial nuclear program.
–Agencies