Ahmadinejad Nominates Guards Commander for Oil Ministry

- Ahmadinejad Nominates Guards Commander for Oil Ministry

Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
by Farshid Motahari, dpa, Berlin

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday nominated a commander of the Revolutionary Guards to head the Oil Ministry, official news agency IRNA reported.

The minister-nominee Rostam Qassemi is on a United States and European Union list of people declared persona non-grata due to their alleged involvement in Iran's nuclear program.

For that reason it is unclear whether the nominee, if approved by parliament next week, would be allowed to attend meetings of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries at its headquarters in Vienna.

Observers said that because Ahmadinejad predicted a parliamentary rejection of the current oil ministry caretaker Mohammad Aliabadi, he appointed an Revolutionary Guards commander to force approval by the lawmakers.

The Revolutionary Guards have become the main military force in the country and are involved in several economic projects such as oil, telecommunications and tourism.

Qassemi has also been involved in economic projects as head of the industrial unit of the Revolutionary Guards.

The Oil Ministry has been subject of a political quarrel between Ahmadinejad and his critics in parliament.

After firing his oil minister Massoud Mirkazemi in May, the president initially wanted to become Oil Ministry caretaker himself and later merge it with the Energy Ministry.

Ahmadinejad's plan failed after parliament rejected both the merger and him becoming caretaker.

Constitutional watchdog the Guardian Council rejected the plan as illegal and said Ahmadinejad could not run the Oil Ministry as caretaker.

Copyright (c) 2011, dpa, Berlin

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Iran Parliament Rejects Ahmadinejad's Plan to Merge Ministries

- Iran Parliament Rejects Ahmadinejad's Plan to Merge Ministries

Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)

Iran's parliament will not consider a plan by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to merge the ministries of oil and energy, a Tehran newspaper said Wednesday amid a political row between his government and parliament and elements of the clergy.

"A relevant parliamentary commission came to the conclusion that the oil ministry is important and should stay independent," deputy Hissein Sobhani-Nia was quoted as saying by Donyaye Eqtesad.

"Therefore, the parliament has removed the merger of the oil and energy ministries from the agenda," he said.

Observers said the dispute between parliament and Ahmadinejad's government is believed to go beyond technicalities and has become an ideological problem.

Ahmadinejad planned to merge the two ministries and become caretaker of the oil ministry himself until the plan was realized.

Parliament and the senate-like Guardian Council rejected the caretaker plan as illegal, forcing Ahmadinejad to introduce a new caretaker.

In the meantime, the president's plan to create a sports ministry failed after parliament on Tuesday rejected his candidate.

The rejections were expected to escalate the crisis between government supporters and conservatives in the parliament, as well as clerical circles who accuse Ahmadinejad and his aides of no longer following the principles of the Islamic establishment.

The main target of the conservatives and clerics is Ahmadinejad's chief of staff and relative by marriage, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, whom they accuse of undermining their power.

Parliament presented an ultimatum Monday to Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi over one of his deputies who is linked to Mashaei. Salehi was told to either fire Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh or face impeachment. Salehi gave in, and Malekzadeh resigned Tuesday.

Mashaei and other close aides of the president are branded by critics as a "deviant current" for preferring a nationalistic rather than an Islamic political approach.

Some critics have gone so far as to charge Mashaei and his group with plans to remove the clergy from power. Ahmadinejad has denied the charges but at the same time supported his aides, including Mashaei.

Copyright 2011 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

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Iran's Parliament Accuses Ahmadinejad of Violating Law

- Iran's Parliament Accuses Ahmadinejad of Violating Law

Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)

Iran's internal row escalated Wednesday as the parliament filed a brief in court accusing the president of violating the law by making himself caretaker of the oil ministry.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week dismissed oil minister Massoud Mirkazemi and took over the portfolio himself, which would have also made him rotating chairman at the OPEC meeting in Vienna.

The constitutional watchdog Guardian Council rejected the move as illegal and said he could not run the oil ministry as caretaker.

Although Ahmadinejad reportedly gave in and dropped the trip to Vienna, the parliament said he had violated the law and sent it to the judiciary for further investigation.

The president's plan to trim the cabinet, especially merge the oil ministry with the energy ministry, led to widespread criticism in parliament.

Ahmadinejad has also been involved in a row with the clergy and conservative faction over his close aides.

The aides were branded as a "deviant current" and accused of undermining the Islamic ruling system in Iran and the authority of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Copyright 2011 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

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Ahmadinejad Will Not Attend OPEC Meeting in Vienna

- Ahmadinejad Will Not Attend OPEC Meeting in Vienna

Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
by Farshid Motahari, dpa, Berlin

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not attend the next OPEC meeting scheduled for June 8 in Vienna, an Iranian oil ministry official said Monday.

Shojaeddin Bazargani told the official news agency IRNA that in a recent meeting, the president said that a minister would be assigned to represent the country both in the Vienna meeting and OPEC's joint session with the European Union.

Ahmadinejad last week dismissed oil minister Massoud Mirkazemi and took over the ministry himself, which would have also made him rotating chairman at the OPEC meeting in Vienna.

But Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, rejected the plan as illegal and said that Ahmadinejad could not run the oil ministry as caretaker.

The president's legal deputy, Fatemeh Bodaghi, said however that Ahmadinejad would remain caretaker of the ministry since the Guardian Council can only intervene on future decisions but not on those already made.

Ahmadinejad had argued that he planned to trim the cabinet, and one of his decisions was to abolish the oil ministry and merge it with the energy ministry. The plan led to wide-spread criticism in Parliament.

Ahmadinejad is involved in a row with Iran's clergy and conservative factions over his reform plans, which include reducing the cabinet from 21 to 17 ministries.

As caretaker of the oil ministry, Ahmadinejad would have been obliged to chair as well the OPEC meeting next month in Vienna, where protests against the Iranian president are reportedly being planned.

Copyright (c) 2011, dpa, Berlin

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Ahmadinejad to Run Oil Ministry Despite Legal Ban

- Ahmadinejad to Run Oil Ministry Despite Legal Ban

Monday, May 23, 2011
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
by Farshid Motahari, dpa, Berlin

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will run the Oil Ministry despite a legal ban, his legal deputy said Sunday.

Ahmadinejad last week dismissed oil minister Massoud Mirkazemi and took over the ministry himself, which would have also made him rotating chairman at June's OPEC meeting in Vienna.

But Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, rejected the plan as illegal and said that Ahmadinejad could not run the Oil Ministry as caretaker.

The president's legal deputy, Fatemeh Bodaghi, told ISNA news agency that the decision has already been made, as the Guardian Council could only decide on decisions to be made but not on those already been made. Therefore, Ahmadinejad would remain caretaker of the ministry, she said.

Ahmadinejad had argued that he planned to trim the cabinet, and one of his decisions was to abolish the Oil Ministry and merge it with the Energy Ministry. The plan led to wide-spread criticism in Parliament.

Ahmadinejad is involved in a row with Iran's clergy and conservative factions over his reform plans, which include reducing the cabinet from 21 to 17 ministries.

As caretaker of the Oil Ministry, Ahmadinejad would also chair the OPEC meeting next month in Vienna, where protests against the Iranian president are reportedly being planned.

Copyright (c) 2011, dpa, Berlin

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