Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh

Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh is a deputy foreign minister of Iran and a "close ally" of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He was arrested June 23, 2011. No charges were given in the report of his arrest^[1] but he has been accused of financial irregularities. He is thought to be the "most senior"^[1] of the "at least 25" associates^[2] of Ahmadinejad to be arrested as part of the 2011 rift between the president and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (Others include Abbas Amirifar and Kazem Kiapasha.^[3]) According to Aljazeera, "Malekzadeh had been at the centre of a dispute between members of parliament, who opposed his nomination, and Ali-Akbar Salehi, Iran’s foreign minister. Salehi's initial refusal to remove him (Malekzadeh) prompted more than 30 parliamentarians to petition the speaker for the minister’s impeachment."^[4] Malekzadeh resigned from his post June 21, "only a week after he was appointed" according to The Guardian^[5]

See also

• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
• Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
• Abbas Amirifar

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Iran Rift Deepens With Arrest of President’s Ally By J. DAVID GOODMAN| 23 June 2011
2. ^ Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warns opponents against detaining ministers| Saeed Kamali Dehghan| guardian.co.uk, 29 June 2011
3. ^ Is president of Iran on the ropes?| By ALI REZA ESHRAGHI - The Institute for War & Peace Reporting| 19 July 2011
4. ^ Ahmadinejad's ally 'arrested' in Iran| al jazeera 23 Jun 2011
5. ^ Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ally arrested in Iran on corruption charges| Saeed Kamali Dehghan| guardian.co.uk| 23 June 2011