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Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at the parliament in Tehran on Wednesday.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was summoned to parliament Wednesday for an unprecedented grilling by lawmakers who accused him of economic mismanagement and making "illegal" appointments.
Less than two weeks after a drubbing in parliamentary elections, Ahmadinejad became the first president in the Islamic Republic's history to be called before the legislature, which has the power to impeach him if unsatisfied with his answers.
Traditionalist factions who express complete loyalty to Iran's most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been trying to summon Ahmadinejad for months over what they say are repeated challenges to the supreme leader's authority.
Emboldened by their success over Ahmadinejad supporters at parliamentary elections this month, they finally had the chance to interrogate the president about the near-stagnant, high-inflation economy and concerns over his allegiance to Khamenei.
Flippant tone
Chairing the meeting, lawmaker Ali Motahari asked why Ahmadinejad had stayed at home for several days last April after Khamenei overturned the president's decision to sack the intelligence minister -- an absence seen by some as a protest against the supreme leader's decision.
Belying his weakened standing, Ahmadinejad responded in a confident and, at times, flippant tone that did little to calm the excitement of the hearing, broadcast live on state radio.
Vahid Salemi / AP
An unidentified Iranian clerical lawmaker walks inside the parliament as legislators listen to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, unseen, answering questions Wednesday.
On his absence from work last April, he said: "This is one of those things -- Ahmadinejad staying home and resting. Some of my friends have repeatedly told me to rest. In this government, work has never been stopped for even a day."
He played down the historic significance of the summons, saying it was parliament's right and not out of the ordinary.
"I was ready to answer questions before the election," he said. "But I thought it might have an impact on election results and then I would be blamed for it. I am the easiest to blame."
BBC News reported that the president's last comments at the hearing resulted in uproar.
"It was not a very difficult quiz," he told lawmakers, the BBC said, citing the Associated Press. "To me, those who designed the questions were from among those who got a master's degree by just pushing a button. If you had consulted us, better questions could have been drawn up."
At schools, in shops, and on the streets of big cities and small towns, daily life plays out in Iran.
Ahmadinejad added that he should get top marks for his performance, saying "Be fair. Any grade of less than 20 [out of 20] will be rude."
'Illogical, illegal'
After an hour-long grilling -- that included questions on the botched financing of the Tehran metro and the veracity of government figures showing the creation of 1.6 million jobs in 2009 and 2010 -- many parliamentarians remained unimpressed.
"Ahmadinejad's answers to lawmakers' questions were illogical, illegal and an attempt to avoid answering them. With an insulting tone, Ahmadinejad made fun of lawmakers' questions and insulted parliament," Mohammad Taqi Rahbar was quoted as saying by parliament's news agency.
Having made several ministerial appointments that were unpopular with parliament -- including a brief stint when he named himself oil minister, in charge of Iran's biggest economic sector -- Ahmadinejad was questioned about how he picked people for key posts.
Former Deputy Secretary of State, P.J. Crowley, joins MSNBC to discuss whether Iran is showing signs that it is willing to engage in nuclear talks with the EU.
Outgoing reformist lawmaker Mostafa Kavakebian said that the president “did not give any logical answers and took everything as a joke."
Attacks on Ahmadinejad by rival hardliners in parliament increased after last year's spat over the intelligence minister with his critics saying any challenge to Khamenei threatens the foundations of the Islamic Republic.
The theocratic nation's first president, Abolhassan Banisadr, was impeached in 1981 and fled the country after being accused of threatening Iran's new religious foundations.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy......
Forget the nuclear sights. Drop a BUNKER BUSTER on that room full of Idiots.
If this continues, the Iranian government may become as dysfunctional as ours.
Something tells me Ahmadinejad might be having an Iranian funded "Unfortunate Accident" soon.
either that or he will go on vacation and disappear....they'll say they lost him.
Who cares? This is of no importance The Ayatollahs control everything and they have been holding the world hostage for 33 years.Only when they fall and a non pyscho pluralistic government is put in place .will the world be safe from these demons!
The ironic thing is that war with Iran would be very beneficial to Ahmadinejad and is the best way for him to gain support and unify a clearly divided political climate, no wonder hes instigating it. Could be the best thing that could happen to him politically.
His name always sounds like "Awannablojob" to me.
Al718
Not when one of our Tomahawk missiles blows his dinner off the table as he is eating it !!!
Treated questions as a joke, insulted Parliament. Hang him. Isn't that what they do?
Stone him. They do that too. He needs a few rocks upside his head.
yup, he already has too many inside his head
I smell BBQ....
And we thought we were the only ones to see him as a buffoon....these guys are a little late to the party, but better late than never. Of course, they still embrace the even bigger buffoon.....
lol agree.
Could be Ahmanutjob is no longer militant enough to suit them.
I think you have it backwards. It's probably more likely they're tired of him constantly tweaking Israel and America's noses and risking losing the nuclear program they've been working on for decades to a couple of well-placed 30,000-lb bunker busters. As nutty as they may be, the Iranian supreme council isn't stupid and they know when Israel is about to stop talking and start shooting. Keep in mind that Israel bombed Iraq's reactors when they started to get mouthy.
I think you're probably correct Chris. I figure there are lawmakers in Iran who really want to avoid war; they know it'll be the end of them. I hope our lawmakers can be as reasonable. So far Obama has been.
No one really wants war except for him.
We don't really want to take him out, the Israelites don't really want to either, but his threats to Israel are ones they have to take seriously.
Russia and China are fairly dependent on resources coming out of Iran and don't want the flow stopped for any reason.
I suspect that the clerics of Iran had had enough of him too. He has become a danger to Iran, and too powerful as well. They are probably putting their thumb down on him to put him back into his place.
Him being in power has caused thousands of protesters lives, brought them to the brink of war with the United States, and also Israel as well.
Iran has had too much war already. Their war with Iraq took a huge toll on them. Supporting Assad in Syria politically, with manpower, and military resources has made them lose some faith among their own Muslim brothers.
Ahmadinejad has been testing the waters of war for too long and one day soon, somebody's going to pull a trigger. When that happens, Iran will suffer devastating losses to their infrastructure and military at a time when the people are ready to revolt. If that happens, the clerics will be held responsible for the deaths of the protesters and probably be killed along with their families.
I think what really needs to happen is for Awannablojob to go fishing for an extended period of time at the will of the clerics.
When he returns, he say what they tell him to say, and do what they tell him to do, or he will lose their backing. They will "take the toys away" from him like the badly behaved child he has been.
Apparently Iran is far more democratic than most Americans think.
Yeah America needs to send troops in there to really screw up that country too so that the whole middle east can burn in anarchy. Military Industrialized Imperialism what a concept, no wonder they so desperately want atomic weapons.
Ahmedinejad is a perfect mouthpiece of Iran's foreign policy and attitude toward the world. The thing is Iran's strategy is starting to backfire and they need a convenient scapegoat for their militant foreign policy which is starting to have severe repercussions in Iran. Ahmedinejad's more militant rhetoric, such as his now famous statement vis a vis wiping out the zionist regime are really at the bottom of this, not just failed domestic policy decisions, but both have had severe economic repercussions. They also may be upset that he has said he will open up sensitive nuclear sites to IEIA inspectors. It shouldn't escape anyone's attention that they are attempting to deflect attention from their own failure to contain the escalating international crisis at home, which could lead to a serious domestic crisis.
It is interesting that the Grand Ayatollah and the hardliners are now distancing themselves from Ahmedinejad, since he has been their mouthpiece and seems to have conveyed their position so eloquently to the int'l. press. He has not formulated Iran's foreign policy, he has only implemented it. This could signal and eventual reversal of Iran's position on developing nuclear weapons and a saving face gesture.
Ahmedinejad could wind up in the US eventually as a political asylum refugee. Once he's out of office, there will surely be some attempt by the militant clerical establishment to hold him accountable for their own failed policies. That is what happened to nation's first president, Abolhassan Banisadr, a moderate who fled Iran within the first year of the revolution, and who favored int'l relations with the US.
Atawa - What are Ahmadinejads' militant foreign policies? Iran hasn't started any wars. Iran hasn't threatened to start a war. Iran hasn't attacked another country for well over a hundred years.
Iran has always had their nuclear enrichment sites open to the IAEA and they have not enriched beyond the 20% which is needed for medical isotopes. Until they do, or unless they kick out the inspectors, which I believe they won't, they will be within the guidelines of the NPT.
We have no valid excuse in the world to attack Iran.
Who are the Zionists going to feature as the bad guy after Ahmadinejad leaves? Almost all the posts on these forums from Zionists are crititcal of Ahmadinejad and his words, painting him a s Satan. I see Bart is already doing an "about face."
Is it just me, or does that "unidentified Iranian clerical lawmaker" in the photo look kinda like a Star Wars villain?
Looks like a pissed off ObiWan.
"My allegiance is to the Republic! To Democracy!"
I have to say that I get more of a Count Dooku feel...
Looks like Iran is tyring to entice us to invade by making their leadership seem weak, nice try.
it is weak and we dont want to invade..
One wacko disliked by a bunch of other wackos.
Any this, ladies and gentlemen, is why being a theocracy is a bad thing. One to many roosters in the henhouse.
(p)ink slip MORPHINE CARNIVAL banned, re-reg of multiple accounter morphine-carnival.
Interesting isnt it??, notice please?"flippant".."illogical" and "insulting",..and how others valid concerns are treated as "stupidity"?... all! language flags for psychopathy,,, ..so,.. now we see why he is trying to get attention deflected at home,,, THE PEOPLE! of Iran,,, dont like him, dont want him, and really, best he goes away, far far away, another galaxy perhaps,..You can bet the bank he will be reading this with his am coffee[do they do that in Iran?? I think they do actually]...very interesting ,.. more please,,,"please sir, we want some more"...[dickens], expect the creation and use of, some other "external threat",,,and blame on others,,it is the usual for these types,,,sort of "see, its not me, its him" kind of deal,, even if it makes no sense at all,, it will happen,,, just what the world needs in the leader of a country, no?.. and scary when and if he ever does get Nuclear power,,,If we must have[which in fact is in doubt right now?] these horrible weapons, then do we want someone like this in the loop at all??.. not I, and thatsa fact jack!!...one thing to take serious note of,,,Psychopaths can be and most often are casuisticly cunning!!,, everything! everything they have going, is some kind of "plan"[crazy plan, but still a plan]..if they were not so dangerous to so many people,,, these types would be fascinating as a study,,, but they are such a danger,,, and we study them to PROTECT! ourselves against their scams and "plans",..forewarned is fore armed,, yessir!...
Might want to get your keyboard checked. If it turns out its not broken then maybe see a neurosurgeon.
Re-post in English.
Interesting isnt it??, notice please?"flippant".."illogical" and "insulting",..and how others valid concerns are treated as "stupidity"?... all! language flags for psychopathy,,, ..so,.. now we see why he is trying to get attention deflected at home....
Sounds eerily like a few people in our own "government".
I bet you talk to yourself on the subway and freak people out there, too, huh?
Dump the fearless leader before they all glow. I hope they cause him tons of problems and their nuc program falls apart.
what a bunch of looney tunes. The whole country is a joke and they think they will be taken more seriously with a nuke. Dumb and Crazy!
It doesn't matter. Ahmadinejad is just a figurehead, the ayatollahs run the country.
He and that Theocratic mess over there are an insult to the great Iranian people.
Is this necessarily a good thing? The third paragraph clearly reads
"Traditionalist factions who express complete loyalty to Iran's most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been trying to summon Ahmadinejad for months over what they say are repeated challenges to the supreme leader's authority."
It's long been known that, even though a complete arse in his own right, Ahmadinejad is at odds with the Ayatollah and have had their battles. And I believe that Ayatollah is every bit as belligerent towards the US and Israel as Ahmadinejad is.
So is this little more than an attempt for the ultra-conservative/religious faction to consolidate power?
Ahmadinejad is the most visible and publicized - he's the face of Iran. But is he necessarily the worst and does the real danger lie is the shadows (Khamenei). This may not necessarily be a great thing and is almost certainly not any sort of demonstration of democracy as some have stated.
Bear in mind, folks,,, Khemenei is in charge of Iran's military. Loudmouth Ahmadenijad is just the political leader in Parliament. I bet he's making his wife go out and start his car for him every morning.
Buh bye .... Ahmanidiot
Wait a second compared to Assaholas he's the moderate..... uh oh.
Very funny ROFLMAO.both will be gone to that unmentionable place by the end of this year.
Islam has been dead in Iran for a long time now.so it is just about time for these guys to go to that very hot place.
Why would Iranians want to go to Newark...?
LOL good one! May be Jersey S hores...LOL in Iran,these islamist are NOT even considered Iranians.
They are very ugly and do not even remotly look like REAL Iranians.
Iranians are very good looking.Persian girls are the HOTTEST in the world by far.
check them out.type persian wedding or persian party on youtube and watch the real Iranians.
@ sirus-1207563
Political Islam is dead in Iran, not Islam in general. There's a big difference between the two.
Surely there was a law broken here that would allow them to have Ajad stoned to death? At this point I'd settle for having them just remove his tongue.
His end will not be pretty.
What a little man complex this guy has. Worse even than Hitler
As if the next muslim moron is going to be any better????
He'll just do a better job sucking off the counsel.
Good luck with that
These guys are obsessed with their image in society (why else would they call themselves the supreme council, the supreme leaders). They want to appear before the public as holding those responsible for what ails the population. They love their populist labels, even if those labels were given by themselves. So what do the do; they scape goat. They don't change policies that would have real impact because they stand behind those policies (nuclear proliferation) but they don't want the public actually holding them responsible for the economic collapse and inflation.
I know- it's George Bush's fault. That's the solution to everything, right?
it most like is George Bush's fault, and if it wasn't, it should be and Cheney's too since he considers Canadians a security risk.
We are a security risk, stay out Cheney!!! That also goes for Bush and Obama too!
Israel missed it's shot. They were all in the room at the same time. One bunker buster. GAME, SET, MATCH. Iranians would then have freedom.
Or at least anarchy, with a much better shot at freedom to come out of it.