TEHRAN, Iran — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday announced the firing of Iran’s foreign minister as the longtime diplomat was abroad on assignment, pro-government news agencies reported.
Manouchehr Mottaki, an Anglophonic career diplomat and relative moderate serving as foreign minister since 2005, has long bristled against Ahmadinejad’s abrasive style. He will be replaced by Ali Akbar Salehi, an American-educated former diplomat who has been serving as chief of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization as well as a vice president in Ahmadinejad’s Cabinet, state television reported.
Officials disclosed no reason for the ouster of Mottaki, who was traveling in Senegal at the time, and the Foreign Ministry’s website did not announce his replacement.
It was unclear whether Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the ultimate arbiter of Iran’s foreign and national-security policies, signed off on the dismissal. But Michel Potocki, author of a book on Iran’s constitution, said: “I very much doubt that Mottaki could have been dismissed without the leader’s approval.”
Iran is confronting the United States and other major powers over its nuclear ambitions, the subject of international talks in Istanbul next month. Mottaki’s removal set off a flurry of speculation about what it means.
One Iranian website said the manner of his dismissal would only benefit Iran’s foreign rivals. Ghodratollah Alikhani, a reformist member of parliament, said firing Mottaki while he was abroad was the “worst manner” of conduct, according to the website Fararu.
Members of parliament, who must ratify Cabinet appointments, said they were surprised by the decision to replace the foreign minister. Parliament could create difficulties before approving a new appointee, though Salehi might be viewed as above reproach.
Iran watchers were generally perplexed at what the dismissal means for those seeking to curb the Islamic republic’s nuclear program.
“We trust that the talks that have just begun in Geneva will continue and that different political lineups will not lead to an interruption or a hesitation at those talks,” said Germany Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
Within the Islamic Republic’s fragmented and competitive political elite, Mottaki was often shoved aside. The foreign minister threatened to quit this year when Ahmadinejad appointed special foreign- policy envoys in a move that appeared designed to further bypass him.
