It’s the first summons of its kind for an Iranian president since 1979. It follows a petition by a parliamentary committee and is part of a power struggle ahead of March parliamentary elections.

Mohammad Reza Bahnoar, the Parliament deputy speaker, said Tuesday that lawmakers are demanding Ahmadinejad answer questions on the economy, including purportedly bypassing a special budget for the Tehran subway and public transportation.

He is also to be queried about foreign and domestic policy decisions.

The summons will be sent to Ahmadinejad this week. The president must appear in Parliament after one month.

Meanwhile, Tehran dismissed the new US sanctions with the Foreign Ministry spokesman saying Tuesday they are part of a “psychological war” meant to sow discontent among Iranians and insisting the measures would not halt the country’s nuclear program.

Washington ordered the new penalties on Monday, giving US banks additional powers to freeze assets linked to the Iranian government and close loopholes that officials say Iran has used to move money despite earlier restrictions imposed by the US and Europe. The United States and its allies suspect Iran’s nuclear activities are geared toward producing an atomic weapon. Iran denies the charge, insisting its controversial uranium enrichment program is only for peaceful purposes, such as power production.

Ramin Mehmanparast, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Iran’s central bank has no financial transactions with the United States and would not be affected by the measures. He told reporters in Tehran on Tuesday that the penalties are just “propaganda.” “Many of these (US) activities are in the sphere of psychological war and propaganda, and they cannot affect our work,” he said.

“When they impose sanctions on our central bank even though we have no transactions with them, it shows … they think they are able to put pressure on our people. create concerns and social discontent,” he added.

The new, stricter sanctions, authorized in legislation that President Barack Obama signed in December, will be enforced under an order he signed Sunday.

The measures target Iran’s Central Bank and its other financial institutions, intended to complicate the country’s ability to conduct international commerce.

The US and Europe want to deprive Iran of the oil income it needs to run its government and pay for the nuclear program. But many experts believe Iran will be able to find other buyers outside Europe.