Iran's Cabinet shuffle long planned

TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- A decision to sack the Iranian foreign minister was on the president's agenda for months and will have few impacts on policy decisions, a spokesman said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a presidential order dismissing Manouchehr Mottaki from his post while the minister was on an official trip to Senegal.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had tried to block Ahmadinejad from firing the policy chief, though he was long on the president's list, The New York Times reported.

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, was named by Ahmadinejad as acting foreign minister until a permanent replacement is found.

Ramin Mehmanparast, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said during a Tuesday press briefing that the reshuffling wouldn't have much of an impact on Tehran's agenda.

"Iran's major policies in the international scene are adopted at higher levels and the foreign policy system executes these policies," he was quoted by Press TV as saying.

Ahmadi Biqash, an Iranian lawmaker on a foreign policy committee, said Ahmadinejad was acting within his constitutional rights in the firing, noting it has long been on the president's list of priorities.

The firing comes as Tehran considers January talks with Western leaders over its controversial nuclear program.