In a fresh blow to the embattled Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s constitutional watchdog body has ruled that the president cannot serve as the country’s caretaker oil minister, a news agency reported Friday.
The decision by the Guardian Council comes as the country’s hardline religious rulers seek to weaken Ahmadinejad after he publicly challenged Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month.
Ahmadinejad made clear this week that he was taking on the job of caretaker oil minister after firing the previous minister last week.
In that role, Ahmadinejad planned to personally chair an OPEC meeting in Vienna in June since Iran holds the rotating presidency of the oil bloc.
The semiofficial Fars news agency said in a report Friday that the Guardian Council — which oversees government adherence to the constitution — ruled that Ahmadinejad’s move was a “constitutional violation.” It didn’t provide details.
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2 Responses
May he can appoint Rabbi Weiss from the Neturei Karta for the position
No big deal. The more they disagree, the better it is for the rest of the world.