Iran’s president fires 14 advisers

An Iranian pro-government website says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fired 14 advisers as part of an ongoing shake-up of his administration. The Sunday report from mashreghnews.ir says Ahmadinejad sacked the advisers a day earlier in an effort to help reduce the size of the government. The dismissals have not been confirmed by state media or the president’s office. Last month, Ahmadinejad abruptly fired his longtime foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, as well as his vice president for youth affairs, Mehrdad Bazrpash. Those dismissals appeared to signal a rift at the top levels of the Iranian leadership, pitting the president against rival conservatives. – Khaleejtimes