Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad on Monday replaced his foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki and named Aliakbar Salehi to the post. So far, Salehi served as Iran's nuclear chief.
A few months ago, Iranian lawmakers loyal to the conservatives in the parliament warned Ahmadinejad of firing Mottaki. This came following Ahmadinejad's appointment of personal envoys without any coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Al Arabiya, the deputies sharply criticized the president and warned that Mottaki's dismissal would not go without a response and called on him to follow the instructions of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on respecting the law, with emphasis that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is is the responsibile for managing Iran's relations with foreign states.
Sources said that following the appointments, Mottaki threatened to step down.
