Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has revealed that he will retire from politics when his second term as President ends next year.

Mr Ahmadinejad was quoted in Germany´s Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper as saying that he planned to return to academia. Although he might engage in political activity at a university, he said: "I will not found any political party or group."

Mr Ahmadinejad cannot run in next year´s election because of term limits. Asked whether, like Russia´s Vladimir Putin, he envisioned returning to the presidency at a later date, he replied: "No, eight years are enough."

Relations between Ahmadinejad and parliament are increasingly strained. In March he became the first president in the Republic´s history to be summoned to the assembly for questioning (©independent.co.uk 06/18/12)