Iran faces fresh political turmoil as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's dismissal of his intelligence minister has exposed a deepening rift among conservatives.

Intelligence minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie was sacked by Ahmadinejad on Sunday without any official reason, prompting rumours of power struggles in the regime’s top leadership.

Ahmadinejad's office tried to defuse the political crisis by denying earlier news reports that four ministers had been dismissed.

FRANCE 24's Robert Parsons discusses Iran's deepening political crisis with international legal specialist Ardavan Amir Aslani on Top Story, 28/07/2009.

But one of those reported dismissed, culture and Islamic guidance minister Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, confirmed on Sunday that he decided to leave the cabinet after "recents events" showed the "government's weakness".

"One of the Iranian news agencies said last night that the culture minister received a text message saying that he has been dismissed. He was later told he was not sacked and that he could come. But he then resigned and is not going to show up at his office on Monday," said Fahrad Pouladi, the AFP correspondent for FRANCE 24 in Tehran.

A challenge to Iran’s supreme leader

An earlier resignation triggered the latest political crisis by exposing a row between Ahmadinejad and Iran's supreme guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on matters of state.

Rahim Mashaie, whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad's son, was forced to step down as first vice president on Saturday after Khamenei personally intervened against his appointment.

His resignation was a blow to Ahmadinejad, who had defended his friend as a "trusted, devoted and pious" man. Mashaie had enraged hard-liners last year by describing Iran as a "friend of the Israeli people".

"The supreme leader's authority has been questioned by Ahmadinejad, since everybody knows that he didn't initially bow to Khamenei's order. The guide's order had to be made public for Ahmadinejad to comply," says Karim Pakzad, a researcher at the IRIS think tank, during an interview with FRANCE 24.

Conservatives slam Ahmadinejad

The joint chief of the armed forces, General Hassan Firouzabadi, blamed Ahmadinejad for waiting several days before implementing Khamenei's order.

"The Iranian people, who know Mr. Ahmadinejad as a follower of the supreme leader, expected him to execute the leader's order even before the ink was dry," Firouzabadi told the AFP.

Widespread protests after the contested June 12 election have weakened the regime's legitimacy, and opposition leaders say they will keep on refusing to recognise Ahmadinejad's government.

But according to Pakzad, Iran's latest turmoil is not linked to last month's protests but to a long-simmering resentment at Ahmadinejad's promotion of his comrades in the Pasdaran, or Revolutionary Guards.

"This rift among the conservatives originates in Ahmadinejad's first election back in 2005. Since then, the Pasdaran have taken over Iran's government and economy at the expense of the clergy. This is why several top clerics have publicly criticised the presidential election outcome," explains Pakzad.

Ahmadinejad is due to be sworn in on August 5, and his new cabinet line-up is expected to face a vote of confidence from the Iranian parliament shortly after.