TEHRAN, IRAN -  Iran's parliament on Tuesday voted to sack Interior Minister Ali Kordan for lying about his credentials and presenting a fake degree from Oxford University.

Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said 188 MPs among the 247 present voted to impeach Kordan while 45 lawmakers were against the motion and 14 abstained.

"The impeachment was approved by parliament and he cannot be interior minister from now on," Larijani said in a speech carried live on state radio.

The row has been a major source of embarrassment for the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has defended Kordan throughout the controversy and who refused to appear in parliament for the impeachment. --AFP