Amid a continued political controversy in Iran over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first vice presidential pick, cabinet members engage in a verbal quarrel with the president over his insistence on the choice.
The quarrel broke out at Wednesday's cabinet meeting between President Ahmadinejad and the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi.
Despite a reported call by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution advising the president to reverse his decision in appointing Rahim-Mashaei as his top deputy, Ahmadinejad insisted that Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei would serve as the vice president.
Following President Ahmadinejad's refusal to reverse the decision, Saffar-Harandi left the meeting of cabinet members, Ayandehnews reported on Wednesday.
During the meeting, President Ahmadinejad also criticized what he called "interference by certain officials" in the shape-up of his future cabinet.
The president's criticism prompted reactions from some other cabinet members with ministers of intelligence and labor walking out of the meeting in protest at the remarks.
Rahim-Mashaei's appointment as the country's vice president has unleashed torrents of criticism from both the president's supporters and opponents alike.
In 2008, Rahim-Mashaei turned into a controversial figure after saying that Iran is a "friend of the Israeli people". He later distanced himself from his earlier stance, saying that his comments had been misinterpreted.
The controversial figure, who served as the head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization before receiving the elevation, explained his remarks on Tuesday from a different perspective.
"What I said had nothing to do with the Israeli regime. I did not talk about the usurper Zionist regime. My remarks were about the people of the occupied lands and were in fact a psychological warfare against the Israeli regime," he said.
"What I said was that this regime was in such mess that it no longer enjoyed international support," he added, but insisted that he did not mean that Iran was a friend of Israelis.
Despite stiff opposition to the appointment, the president told IRIB on Tuesday that Rahim-Mashaei will not give up the post as his right-hand man.
"He is one of the most pious, devoted and creative managers in the country, why should he resign?" Ahmadinejad said, adding "Mashaei will continue to serve the Revolution and the nation."
The Iranian president's refusal to review his decision has also drawn harsh criticism from members of the Principlist faction that holds the majority of seats in Majlis.
Hamid-Reza Katouzian, a member of the faction, said that President Ahmadinejad's insistence on the appointment raises doubts about his "abidance" by the Leader, Etemad-e Melli reported on Thursday.
The Principlist MP went on to urge the Iranian chief executive to reverse his decision on the issue to prove that he is following the path of the late Founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini and the Leader.
In separate remarks, Parviz Sarvari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Majlis, also urged the president to revoke the appointment to "prove his commitment" to the Leader.
Head of the Research Center of Majlis, Ahmad Tavakkoli, confirmed reports indicating the Leader's disapproval of the choice.
According to the Principlist MP, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei had even demanded that no key posts in the government be offered to Rahim-Mashaei.
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