TEHRAN, Nov 23: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was dealt a fresh political blow on Wednesday when parliament rejected his third nominee for the crucial post of oil minister.

Deputies acknowledged the dispute could damage investor confidence as well as the country’s standing within OPEC, but said they were unwilling to approve a man they described as the president’s crony and not up to the task.

The nominee, Seyed Mohsen Tassaloti, has been accused of being a millionaire whose family spends most of its time abroad. Although he has headed Iran’s largest petrochemical zone, he lacks direct experience in oil and the oil ministry.

One MP labelled him a “fourth-rate manager”, and he only managed to win the backing of 77 MPs in the 290 seat assembly.

“Each nominee presented by the president has been weaker than the previous one, and this shows that Ahmadinejad wants to select his allies rather than use experienced managers,” said Mahmoud Mohammadi, a moderate deputy.

“The oil ministry is too important for the country. It needs a specialist.”

In August, MPs in the conservative-controlled parliament refused to give their backing to Ahmadinejad’s first choice on the grounds he was unqualified. The president was dealt another embarrassing blow earlier this month when deputies forced him to withdraw his second nominee.

The previous nominees had also been shunned over their lack of experience in the oil sector — which accounts for 80 percent of Iran’s export revenues.—AFP