Tehran - Some 163 Iranian deputies have called on President Mohammad Khatami to appoint women ministers to his cabinet in an expected major reshuffle.
Women hold 11 of the 290 seats in Iran's parliament, but there have been no female ministers since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Mr Khatami, who was re-elected with 77 per cent of the vote earlier this month, is expected to announce his new cabinet in August.