Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad’s controversial nominee as his first deputy, denied reports by several sources regarding his resignation. On his website, Mashaei said, “this news is a rumor and it is not more than a lie.”
Last year, Mashaei was harshly criticized by conservatives for saying, “No nation in the world is our enemy, Iran is a friend of the nation in the United States and in Israel, and this is an honor. We view the American nation as one with the greatest nations of the world.”