TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Parliament approved on Wednesday the new Iranian president”s hard-line nominees for key Cabinet posts, including the foreign and interior ministries, in a lineup that suggests the new government will take a tough stance on nuclear negotiations and against reforms at home.

Parliament members rejected the nominee for the oil ministry, Ali Saeedlou, saying he was not considered competent to run the powerful department. Nominees for three other cabinet posts were also refused. The rejections by the conservative-dominated parliament sent a strong message to the new ultra-conservative president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that he may meet challenges during his presidency from fellow hard-line lawmakers. But the legislature approved the majority of his 21 nominees, including those for foreign, interior and intelligence ministers.

The vote of confidence means the new Iranian government is filled with well-known hard-liners, suggesting the country is likely to see more confrontation with the West, particualrly over its nuclear program.

The new foreign minister, Manuchehr Mottaki, is a former conservative lawmaker who has criticized Iran”s nuclear negotiations with the Europeans, saying the country should adopt a tougher position and make no concessions.

Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who was approved as interior minister, is a former hard-line deputy intelligence minister, drew sharp criticism from some lawmakers who said appointing a secret agent to the post would send bad signals both at home and abroad.

Pourmohammadi, an extremist conservative, won the heart of many lawmakers after he said he penetrated and destroyed a U.S. espionage network in the country when he was the chief of foreign anti-espionage department at Iran”s secret service.

&#34The U.S. espionage network suffered its biggest blow in late 80s after we destroyed it and arrested their spies who had penetrated into Iranian military and political organizations. That”s why the U.S. has not succeed against Iran since then,&#34 he told the parliament before the vote of confidence.

He called the United States Iran”s biggest enemy.

Yet some lawmakers had sharp criticism for Pourmohammadi. &#34One who has served in the secret service, won”t be responsive. Appointing such a man to this post will send bad signals,&#34 conservative lawmaker Emad Afrouq said.

Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, approved as the new intelligence minister, is a cleric whom reformist journalists regard as an unyielding opponent of press freedom.

The new minister of culture and Islamic guidance is Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi, a former Revolutionary Guards commander and editor of a hard-line daily known for opposing democratic reforms pursued by former president Mohammad Khatami.

Several other proposed ministers are either members of the Revolutionary Guards, or have a history of cooperating with the Guards and security agencies, which take hard-line positions on Iran”s nuclear program.

In addition to Saeedlou, three other proposed ministers, education, cooperatives and welfare and social security, were rejected by parliament.

There are no women in Iran”s new Cabinet. Former president Khatami, 1997-2005, also did not appoint women to his Cabinet but he appointed two women as vice presidents.