TEHRAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iran's newly appointed First Vice President Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie has resigned after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the president to sack him, Iran's English-language satellite channel Press TV reported on Friday.
The resignation came after Khamenei issued an "executive order" for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to fire Mashaie, Press TV said.
Earlier Friday, Press TV quoted Khamenei as saying in a letter to Ahmadinejad that the appointment of Mashaie "is contrary to your interests and that of the government and a cause for divisions and frustration among your supporters."
"It is necessary for this appointment to be declared null and void," the Iranian supreme leader said.
The note from Khamenei was dated last Saturday and publicly revealed on Friday, according to Press TV.
The official IRNA news agency reported last Friday that Ahmadinejad had appointed Mashaie, who had been a vice president and head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, as the new first vice president.
Ahmadinejad said Mashaie replaced incumbent First Vice President Parviz Davoudi, who was appointed adviser to the president.
The appointment prompted widespread condemnation from conservative circles, who objected to Mashaie's reported statement last year that Iran was a "friend of the Israeli people."
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