By Xinhua
Tehran : Iran’s government spokesman announced on Wednesday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will replace the economy and interior ministers, the state-owned Press TV satellite channel reported.
After weeks of speculation about cabinet replacements, Gholam Hossein Elham confirmed there would be changes in Ahmadinejad’s cabinet within the next few days.
“Mr. President told me on Sunday that he has personally spoken to two of his cabinet members and asked them to serve the country in other positions,” Elham was quoted as saying.
Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Davoud Danesh-Jafari and Minister of Interior Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi are to be replaced, Elham said, adding that the new ministers are yet to be introduced.
“The constitution of the Islamic Republic allows caretaker ministers to take office for three months until the new ministers are announced,” he said.
On Saturday, Elham had rejected media reports that Iran’s economy minister will soon be replaced.
“There has been no talk of changes in the Iranian government. Circulation of such news is aimed at influencing the government’s economic planning,” Elham was quoted as saying at his weekly press conference Saturday.
He added that the government and all ministries would continue with their work seriously in order to materialize the country’s economic objectives.
In recent days, some Iranian media had speculated that Ahmadinejad might replace Danesh-Jafari.
“The possibility of replacing Davoud Danesh-Jafari has become stronger,” Iran’s Fars News Agency reported Friday.