Ahmedinejad Sacks VP Rahim Mashaie for Being Israel-Friendly

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was ordered by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameni to fire newly-appointed Vice-President Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie because of the public anger he aroused last year when he said that Iran and Israel were on friendly terms and that there was no hostility between the two countries.

President Ahmadinejad defended his prime minister against hardline criticism and insisted that he continue his duties:

Ahmadinejad, who has been known to speak strongly against Israel, was curiously resolved to stick to his decision despite Khameni's strict orders:

Hundreds of hardline students staged a protest in Tehran demanding that Mashaie be removed from office, saying that they would no longer support Ahmadinejad if Mashaie retained his position.

After defending Mashaie for a contentious week the president finally removed him from his office. As Supreme Leader Khameni's authority is scarcely challenged, the last week was arguably an provocation of the status quo. According to the BBC, as the legitimacy of the president's re-election is still contested by the reformist opposition, Ahmedinejad's public breach of Khameni's 'supreme' authority may have narrowed his sources of much-needed hardline support.