Iranian leader gives interior minister control of police force

TEHRAN, Aug 2 (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday gave new Interior Minister Abdol-Vahed Musavi-Lari expanded powers by also naming him commander of the police force, the official IRNA news agency said.

Khamenei made the move at the request of Musavi-Lari, who took over as interior minister late last month after his predecessor Abdollah Nuri was ousted by parliament.

Musavi-Lari, a reformer close to President Mohammad Khatami, made the request "to better fulfil the legal duties of the ministry which has daunting responsibilities to ensure the country's security," IRNA said.

The expanded powers are expected to help Khatami implement his reformist agenda. The interior minister will now have the mandate to appoint or dismiss the police chief.

The interior minister has traditionally been given control of the police force in the Islamic republic, but the moderate Khatami had reserved the privilege for himself since taking office a year ago.

Nuri was never given control over the force, which prevented him from enforcing security during street demonstrations, many of which had police approval but were disrupted by Islamic vigilantes. He was impeached in June.

Musavi-Lari's appointment to the post comes after his confirmation as interior minister by the conservative-led parliament last month despite opposition from hardline conservatives.

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