Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has warned against "heavy costs" of the government's plan to merge ministries before the Parliament's approval, calling for an end to the "illegal" move, Press TV reported with reference to Khabar Online.
The government's decision to merge ministries before the Parliament endorsement would be costly and should be stopped, Larijani said.
He added that if the Iranian government communicated an approval on the merger of eight ministries, it has acted against the law.
The top Iranian parliamentarian emphasized that ministers who have obtained the Parliament vote of confidence should remain in their posts until they are dismissed.
Larijani's remarks came a day after the cabinet ministers announced that it will merge the ministries of Roads and Transportation with Housing and Urban Development, Energy with Oil, Industries and Mines with Commerce, and Welfare and Social Security with Labor and Social Affairs.
According to the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (2010-2015), the Iranian government is obliged to reduce its ministries form 21 to 17 to officially improve the efficiency of state administration.
In response to Larijani's comments, Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Reza Mir-Tajeddini said that the government acted in accordance with the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan.
"The government decided based on the plan and communicated it to the ministers. It also sent the plan to the Parliament to ensure its conformity with law," he added.
However, Larijani went on to criticize the move, saying the decision should be sent to the Parliament before its communication.