Iranian president dismisses government official

Tehran: A senior government official has been dismissed for trying to bribe lawmakers in exchange for their promise not to impeach a minister, according to reports on Sunday.

The official, Mohammad Abbasi, allegedly tried to persuade parliament members last week not to impeach the country's interior minister by offering them money.

The minister, Ali Kordan, is facing an impeachment hearing on Tuesday after he admitted he held a fake honorary degree from Oxford University.

The news agency, IRNA, said Sunday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad decided to dismiss Abbasi after he was told about the accusations on Saturday.