Ahmadinejad to establish tech university after stepping down

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)

An Iranian news website says outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has obtained clearance to establish a technology university in Tehran after he leaves office next week.

It’s the first hint of what Ahmadinejad will do after he steps down on Aug. 4, when president-elect Hasan Rouhani is to be sworn in.

The conservative tasnimnews.com says Ahmadinejad received authorization from the country’s Supreme Cultural Revolution Council to set up his university. The report was posted on the website Saturday.

It said the “Iranians University” will focus on information technology, nanotechnology, aerospace and nuclear science.

Ahmadinejad has fallen out with his one-time conservative allies and has been sidelined since Rouhani’s June 14 election. But he still enjoys a significant political base, with loyalists especially concentrated in the poorer parts of the country.