Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been grilled by parliament after being accused of mismanaging the national economy and defying the country’s supreme leader.

Ahmadinejad has been criticized by religious hard-liners in recent months and the summons follows a petition by a group of parliamentarians for a review of his policy decisions.

He’s the first president in Iran’s history to be hauled before parliament and it could prove a serious blow in his fight with lawmakers and the country’s powerful clerical establishment.

The president mounted a defiant defense, despite the strained ties with religious leaders that could prove unpopular with voters.

Ahmadinejad said: "These false labels cannot be applied to the government. My life shows that I’ve always tried to defend the religious position of the supreme leader through my actions and through proper, correct and logical statements. I’ve tried to demonstrate that our system is one of compassion, justice, progress, hard work and solidarity."