Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right, helped by his bodyguard during a religious ceremony in Tehran on Saturday Oct, 25, 2008.

I guess if you spend four years begging the U.S. and Israel to attack you, once you realize you’ve actually gotten a “yes”, a little spasm of stress just might seize up the old physiological system.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fallen ill due to his heavy workload, a close associate told the Iranian state news agency late Saturday.

Parliament member Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, a close ally of the president, told IRNA that Ahmadinejad is feeling under the weather because of the strain of his position.

“The president will eventually heal and continue his job,” said Kowsari, who last September accompanied the president on his trip to the U.N. General Assembly. “Every human being can face exhaustion under such a workload.”

The months ahead are critical for Ahmadinejad to try to rebuild his political base and rebut critics pointing to his unfulfilled campaign promises, including extending the wealth of Iran’s oil revenue to poorer provinces around the country.

With over 10 percent unemployment and 30 percent inflation, Iran has been unable to bask in record-high oil prices — which are just barely covering domestic subsidies.

Ahmadinejad is also confronting questions about his uncompromising stance with the West over Iran’s nuclear program, which has severely soured international relations.

The Iranian president has not appeared in public since Tuesday.

(AP)