Ahmadinejad 'sacks 14 advisers'

An Iranian pro-government website said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fired 14 advisers as part of an ongoing shake-up of his administration.

The report from mashreghnews.ir said Mr Ahmadinejad sacked the advisers a day earlier in an effort to help reduce the size of the government.

The dismissals have not been confirmed by state media or the president’s office.

Last month, Mr Ahmadinejad abruptly fired his long-time foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, as well as his vice president for youth affairs, Mehrdad Bazrpash.

Those dismissals appeared to signal a rift at the top levels of the Iranian leadership, pitting the president against rival conservatives.