Azernews.Az

(Newswires, July 27) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday nominated a commander of the Revolutionary Guards to head the Oil Ministry, official news agency IRNA reported.

The minister-nominee Rostam Qassemi is on a United States and European Union list of people declared persona non-grata due to their alleged involvement in Iran's nuclear program.

For that reason it is unclear whether the nominee, if approved by parliament next week, would be allowed to attend meetings of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries at its headquarters in Vienna.

Observers said that because Ahmadinejad predicted a parliamentary rejection of the current oil ministry caretaker Mohammad Aliabadi, he appointed an Revolutionary Guards commander to force approval by the lawmakers.

The Revolutionary Guards have become the main military force in the country and are involved in several economic projects such as oil, telecommunications and tourism.

Qassemi has also been involved in economic projects as head of the industrial unit of the Revolutionary Guards.

The Oil Ministry has been subject of a political quarrel between Ahmadinejad and his critics in parliament.

After firing his oil minister Massoud Mirkazemi in May, the president initially wanted to become Oil Ministry caretaker himself and later merge it with the Energy Ministry.

Ahmadinejad's plan failed after parliament rejected both the merger and him becoming caretaker.

Constitutional watchdog the Guardian Council rejected the plan as illegal and said Ahmadinejad could not run the Oil Ministry as caretaker.