In an apparent show of capitulation to the desicions of the Supreme Leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad finally attended a cabinet meeting today after over a week of absence from official duties.
Earlier Iranian media reported that the president will chair a cabinet meeting today after a nine-day boycott of all official activities. IRNA cited a knowledgeable source to report the afternoon cabinet session will be convened and chaired by Ahmadinejad.
Ahmadinejad attended the meeting with his vice-president Mohammadreza Rahimi and other members of his cabinet. He is reportedly going to attend a press conference following the cabinet meeting.
The recent dispute between Ayatollah Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was triggered after Ayatollah Khamenei rejected Ahmadinejad’s dismissal of intelligence minister Heydar Moslehi.
Moslehi was reportedly put under pressure by Ahmadinejad to resign over certain disputes with the president’s chief of staff, Esfanidiar Rahim Mashai.
Despite repeated rebukes from conservative members of parliament and the establishment, Ahmadinejad boycotted several official meetings and cancelled an official visit to the holy city of Qom.
Ahmadinejad had reportedly expressed frustration with the leader’s interference in the president’s authority to appoint and dismiss his ministers.
Despite reports of a deep rift between Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei, on Saturday Fars news agency reported that a delegation of conservative lawmakers met with Ahmaidnejad and announced after their meeting that the president had expressed strong allegiance to the leader and stressed that his faith in Velayat-e Faqih is stronger than ever.
Velayat-e Faqih is the ideal of absolute rule by an expert member of the clergy called the supreme leader, currently represented by Ayatollah Kahmenei.
