Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has urged the authorities to
stop arrests of his supporters, News.am reports.
The statement was made after the arrest of supporters of the head of
presidential administration Esfansyar Rahim Mashei.
Former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Sharif Malekzade was
arrested on June 23. The conservatives forced him to leave the
position.
A refusal to dismiss Malekzade could have been followed by an
impeachment against Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. Malekzade is a
supporter of Ahmadinejad and Mashei. He and two other supporters of
Mashei were working on trade affairs before the arrests on crime
charges.
