Some Parliament members cried “Death to Israel’’ as the prospective defense minister, General Ahmad Vahidi, addressed the chamber on the eve of a vote for all of Ahmadinejad’s selections for his 21-seat Cabinet.
The embattled president faces another key test in today’s expected vote. Many lawmakers - including some former conservative allies - have questioned the caliber of his picks for the government posts, which include the first women named for possible Cabinet seats since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The rejection of several prominent nominees by the Parliament would be another setback for Ahmadinejad, who has faced increasing political isolation for his unwavering support of the hard-line crackdown on protesters after his disputed June 12 election.
Many lawmakers have contended some of Ahmadinejad’s selections for Cabinet posts lack experience or are political cronies.
Beyond the struggle over his government, Ahmadinejad faces a month full of pivotal moments: his annual trip to the UN General Assembly in late September, and the deadline set by President Obama for Iran to begin talks this month on its nuclear ambitions.
Iran’s main nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, said his nation will present a new “package of proposals’’ and will open talks “in order to ease common concerns in the international arena.’’
His comments came a day before a meeting outside Frankfurt of the six countries trying to address concerns about Iran’s nuclear program - the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China, and Germany.
The six countries have also been discussing the possibility of holding a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, UN diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks are private.
Obama has given Iran a deadline of the end of September to agree to nuclear talks or risk harsher sanctions. Last year, Iran was offered economic incentives for suspending uranium enrichment, but Iran’s leaders said they would never give up control of the production of nuclear fuel.
A State Department spokesman, Ian C. Kelly, said yesterday that Washington has not yet received a new Iranian proposal but will review any offer “seriously and in a spirit of mutual respect.’’
