.Iran's judiciary detains Ahmadinejad's ally
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's judiciary Thursday detained a close ally of the president, another step in a power struggle that is sweeping the Iranian leadership, according to a report on the Iranian state television station.
The TV report said Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh was in custody, and the judiciary pledged to issue a statement.
The arrest was the latest incident in a struggle involving President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the parliament and the powerful Iranian Muslim clergy.
Ahmadinejad is in danger of losing the backing of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran. Also, Ahmadinejad has been battling his parliament for supremacy, using a series of issues and appointments to promote his position.
Experts say the conflicts are mostly about internal Iranian politics and not about overall policy.
Ismail Kowsari, a lawmaker, told the semiofficial Mehr news agency that Malekzadeh was arrested over financial corruption allegations.
Malekzadeh resigned Tuesday, just days after he was appointed deputy foreign minister, responding to pressure from hard-liners, who view him as part of a movement seeking to weaken the role of Iran's powerful Muslim clerics.
Also on Thursday, Tabnak, a conservative news website reported that authorities detained Ali Asghar Parhizkar, head of an economic free zone in southern Iran on similar charges. The report could not be independently verified due to the weekend holidays in Iran.
Both of the officials are close allies of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, the president's chief of staff, another target of hard-liners.
Over the past months, authorities have detained dozens of Ahmadinejad's allies.
Mashaei is sharply opposed by hard-liners and has been described by hard-line clerics as the head of a "deviant current" that seeks to elevate the values of pre-Islamic Persia and promote nationalism at the expense of clerical rule.
Ahmadinejad has strongly defended Mashaei, whose daughter is married to the president's son, saying the attacks against Mashaei are actually directed at him.
Ahmadinejad appears to be trying to set up Mashaei, his chief of staff, or another loyalist to succeed him in 2013 when Iran elects a new president. Also, both have been accused of seeking to control the next parliament by manipulating parliamentary elections slated for March 2012.
MyWay
The TV report said Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh was in custody, and the judiciary pledged to issue a statement.
The arrest was the latest incident in a struggle involving President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the parliament and the powerful Iranian Muslim clergy.
Ahmadinejad is in danger of losing the backing of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran. Also, Ahmadinejad has been battling his parliament for supremacy, using a series of issues and appointments to promote his position.
Experts say the conflicts are mostly about internal Iranian politics and not about overall policy.
Ismail Kowsari, a lawmaker, told the semiofficial Mehr news agency that Malekzadeh was arrested over financial corruption allegations.
Malekzadeh resigned Tuesday, just days after he was appointed deputy foreign minister, responding to pressure from hard-liners, who view him as part of a movement seeking to weaken the role of Iran's powerful Muslim clerics.
Also on Thursday, Tabnak, a conservative news website reported that authorities detained Ali Asghar Parhizkar, head of an economic free zone in southern Iran on similar charges. The report could not be independently verified due to the weekend holidays in Iran.
Both of the officials are close allies of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, the president's chief of staff, another target of hard-liners.
Over the past months, authorities have detained dozens of Ahmadinejad's allies.
Mashaei is sharply opposed by hard-liners and has been described by hard-line clerics as the head of a "deviant current" that seeks to elevate the values of pre-Islamic Persia and promote nationalism at the expense of clerical rule.
Ahmadinejad has strongly defended Mashaei, whose daughter is married to the president's son, saying the attacks against Mashaei are actually directed at him.
Ahmadinejad appears to be trying to set up Mashaei, his chief of staff, or another loyalist to succeed him in 2013 when Iran elects a new president. Also, both have been accused of seeking to control the next parliament by manipulating parliamentary elections slated for March 2012.
MyWay
posted by madtom at 8:19 PM
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