Iran Parliament Summons Increasingly Vulnerable Ahmadinejad

Is Latest Move the First Step Toward Impeachment?

Iran’s parliament has announced today that it is summoning President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to answer questions on a variety of topics, including his refusal to appoint an acceptable Minister of Sports and his refusal to implement the Metro law.

The topics themselves don’t seem hugely significant, but coming in the context of a growing corruption scandal as well as a major falling out with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leave the already vulnerable president in a precarious position.

Speaking to just how serious a situation this is, even Iran’s state media, which usually minimizes the significance of internal political battles, is mentioning that three warnings about legal violations could lead to impeachment for either the president or his ministers.

Despite Ahmadinejad’s reputation abroad, he has increasingly drawn the ire of Iran’s hardline clergy, and top leadership in his government, particularly long-time adviser Esfandiar Mashaei, are facing charges of religious deviancy, a particularly serious charge in the religiously dominated government.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.