Iran's newly-elected parliament has chosen Ali Larijani for the powerful post of speaker.
He's a potential rival of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ahead of presidential elections in 2009. Last year, Larijani quit as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, citing differences with Ahmadinejad over how to handle the country's atomic row with the West. In the 290-seat parliament Larijani got 237 votes. The Sports news: Euro 2008 friendly ...
Russian FM calls for security guarantees for Iran ... assembly is dominated by moderate conservatives who are critical of Ahmadinejad's handling of the economy. Inflation is running at 24 percent. Ahmadinejad, who won in 2005 pledging to share Iran's oil wealth, has accused opponents of economic sabotage. Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists that it intends only to generate electricity.
(Deutsche Welle)
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