Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on May 15 rejected speculation that he had any differences with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In an interview on state television, the president made no mention of the main source of such speculation: the dismissal of Iranian intelligence chief Heydar Moslehi, which Khamenei vetoed and eventually blocked.

“My relationship with the leader is not only upon belief but also personal - he is like a father to me,” Ahmadinejad said.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran has been ruled under the Vali Faqih system, in which one senior cleric at ayatollah level has, according to the constitution, the final say on all state affairs and can even veto decisions by the president.

Ahmadinejad was criticized by several clergy circles for allegedly having disobeyed Khamenei's order to reinstate the intelligence chief, monstersandcritics.com reported.