Iran denies oil minister may be replaced-IRNA

TEHRAN, May 13 (Reuters) A source at the office of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected comments by a lawmaker today that Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh may soon be replaced, the official IRNA news agency said.

''Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh ... will continue his activities at this ministry,'' IRNA quoted the ''informed source'' as saying. ''The government does not intend for others to announce its decisions.'' Shokrollah Attarzadeh, a member of parliament's energy commission, was earlier quoted by IRNA as saying that Ali Kordan would ''soon be introduced as the oil minister''.

The report did not spell out whether he meant Ahmadinejad was expected to propose Kordan, who Attarzadeh said was a former senior official of Iran's state broadcasting company, as new minister.

But, under Iranian law, only the president has the power to nominate ministers.

Some media reports had earlier suggested Vaziri-Hamaneh could be moved and cited a dispute concerning management changes at the oil ministry. Those rumours prompted objections from some members of parliament who said he should stay.

Ahmadinejad swept to power in 2005 promising to share out Iran's oil wealth more fairly and pledging to sweep out what he called the ''oil mafia'' in the state-dominated Iranian energy sector.

Three candidates for the post of oil minister in Ahmadinejad's cabinet were rejected by parliament before Vaziri-Hamaneh was accepted for the post.

Reuters TB DB2054