TEHRAN: A number of Iranian MPs threatened Sunday to impeach Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi for appointing a man close to the president's underfire chief of staff as one of his deputies. Salehi Saturday appointed Mohammad Sahrif Malekzadeh as a deputy foreign minister in charge of administrative and financial affairs. Malekzadeh was a top official in the high council of Iranian affairs abroad, run by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, whom ultra-conservatives accuse of aiming to undermine the regime. A number of influential deputies in the conservative-dominated parliament reacted the next day by calling for the impeachment of Salehi. “We hope that Salehi will sack Malekzadeh as soon as possible ... and rebuff the current of deviation's pressure,” said one of the MPs, Mohammad Dehqan, quoted by Mehr news agency. “If he does not, the majlis (parliament) will go for impeachment.” Ultra-conservatives, the Shiite clergy and the elite Revolutionary Guards have repeatedly called for Mashaie's dismissal, accusing him of leading “a current of deviation” and of exerting too much influence over the president. Ahmadinejad has so far adamantly defended his aides, including Mashaie. The threatened impeachment of Salehi, in a letter posted on the majlis website, said Malekzadeh's appointment was against the national interest. “Such an appointment jeopardises the nation's interests ... This person is on the verge of being arrested as (the judiciary) is investigating him over financial and non-financial cases,” it said.
