There is an escalating power struggle between the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the hard-line establishment that has turned against him.
The hardline lawmakers have voted to take Ahmadinejad to court over his takeover of the country’s vital oil ministry.
The 165-1 vote was the latest salvo in the political maneuvering that began when Ahmadinejad publicly challenged Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in April, only to back down.
The confrontations appear to be part of a power struggle ahead of parliamentary elections next year and the vote for Ahmadinejad’s successor in mid-2013.
Lawmakers were infuriated when Ahmadinejad consolidated a series of ministries without parliamentary approval, fired the oil minister and named himself as the replacement.
The takeover also technically puts Ahmadinejad at the helm of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), since Iran this year holds the rotating presidency.
It’s unclear whether Wednesday’s vote in the 290-member parliament will actually be followed by charges or a lawsuit against Ahmadinejad. However, a parliament committee report concluded that Ahmadinejad action in taking over the oil ministry was unconstitutional.
