The Iranian government confirmed on July 26 that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has only sacked the intelligence minister, rejecting reports that more other ministers had been dismissed, the satellite Press TV said.
The dismissal of Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei came less than ten days before the president announces his new cabinet, according to the English-language satellite channel Press TV.
Iran's official IRNA news agency earlier quoted Iran's parliament deputy Hamid-Reza Hajbabai as saying that Ahmadinejad is to swear in for a second term on August 5.
After the ceremony, the president should introduce his cabinet within two weeks of getting a vote of confidence from the parliament, Hajbabai said.
Earlier Sunday, Press TV said Mohseni-Ejei, Islamic Culture and Guidance Minister Mohammad-Hassan Saffar-Harandi and Labor Minister Mohammad Jahromi were sacked.
Some other local new agencies said that Health Minister Kamran Baqeri-Lankarani was also relieved from duty. The Health Ministry, however, denied the reports in a telephone conversation with PressTV.
The reports said the mass dismissals followed the ministers' criticisms of Ahmadinejad's decision of picking Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei's as his first deputy.
