Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has defied calls to fire one of his closest aides and appointed him envoy to the Middle East instead, suggesting that for now he may have the upper hand over his critics. Media reported on Monday that Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie, the target of frequent criticism from inside the hard-line establishment since he became chief of staff last year, was taking one of four new foreign policy posts.
News of the appointment came a day after Ahmadinejad and the head of parliament met and said they would put aside differences that have exposed deep divisions among hard-liners and prompted a warning from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "We are all one family and have one big mission. Administering the country is the focal point," Ahmadinejad said.
Rahim-Mashaie, whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad's son, has become the focal point for infighting among the hard-liners who rule the Islamic Republic. A year ago Khamenei forced Ahmadinejad to sack him from the post of first vice-president amid fierce criticism from many conservatives who were particularly offended by his suggestion that Iran was a friend to all nations, including the people of Israel. But the president managed to hang on to his charismatic political ally by making him chief of staff, a post in which he has remained a constant target of criticism.
That reached a crescendo earlier this month when Mashaie publicly upheld the idea of an "Iranian school" of Islam, which many religious conservatives considered highly controversial. As well as naming a Middle East envoy, Ahmadinejad appointed three other allies into similar roles covering Afghanistan, Asia and the Caspian Sea area, showing his desire to improve relations in the region as Iran is shunned by many countries.
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