Iran: President under fire over minister's dismissal

Published on Tuesday 14 December 2010 15:44

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced outrage at home yesterday over the dismissal of his long-time foreign minister, more evidence of a growing rift in Iran's leadership just as Tehran reopens talks with world powers on its disputed nuclear programme.

Iran's leaders tried to quiet the rumblings by insisting there was no fundamental policy shifts behind the surprise decision on Monday to dump Manouchehr Mottaki - while he was in the middle of a diplomatic mission to Senegal - and appoint nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi as interim foreign minister.

But the fallout from some top politicians and the media - including one of Tehran's most hard-line newspapers - pointed to bigger questions about growing splits between Mr Ahmadinejad and rivals within the country's leadership who see the move as a presidential power grab and cronyism.

It also hints at new friction between Mr Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in Iran and has clashed with the president over political appointments in the past.