Ahmadinejad, Rouhani discuss future

TEHRAN, June 18 (UPI) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told his successor Tuesday he was taking the mantle of a country in the path to glory.

Former chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Hassan Rouhani won an election last week to replace Ahmadinejad, who was ineligible to compete because of term limits.

Ahmadinejad met Tuesday with the Shiite cleric to congratulate him in his victory, adding he believed Iran could reach the peaks of glory by respecting different interests, Iran's state-funded broadcaster Press TV reported.

Rouhani was considered the only moderate in a field of six candidates appearing on the ballot Friday. He takes the oath of office in August.

Ahmadinejad has faced criticism in the past for his economic policies. The country's currency collapsed last year in part because of Western economic pressure.

Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani said Monday there was nothing to allegations a summons for Ahmadinejad was based on personal rivalries.

In February, Ahmadinejad's supporters threw shoes -- a severe insult in that part of the world -- at Larijani in the holy city of Qom after both sides traded accusations of corruption.

A parliamentary spokesman said Ahmadinejad was called for questioning because of budgetary issues.