Kordan Sacked

Iran's Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to remove from office Interior Minister Ali Kordan:

"Iran's parliament has sacked the interior minister in a blow to President Mahmud Ahmadinejad ahead of next year's presidential election.

"MPs voted overwhelmingly to remove Ali Kordan, whose job is crucial in organizing the 2009 race, accusing him of forging his degree from Britain's Oxford University.

"His impeachment was part of a power struggle between hard-line backers of Ahmadinejad and his opponents, including reformers and moderate conservatives who blame the government for the failing economy, political analysts said.

"Kordan last month admitted holding a fake degree from Oxford, although he said he had been duped."