Iran: New President Pezeshkian Unveils List of Government Ministers
The new leadership will also have a woman in charge of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development
On Sunday, August 11, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian sent a list of new government members to the Islamic Republic’s parliament. Pezeshkian was elected in the second round of the July 5 early presidential election.
As the Tehran press emphasizes, “among the proposed names, several key figures stand out who will play important roles in the new leadership.” According to the Iran Front Page website, former Central Bank of Iran governor Abdolnasser Hemmati has been offered the post of economy minister, while former deputy foreign minister and chief negotiator on the Iranian side of the nuclear “deal” Abbas Araghchi has been asked “to take over the reins of the Foreign Ministry.”
A former deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces and veteran pilot, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, was proposed by Pezeshkian as defense minister.
But there are some “old” names, too: Esmaeil Khati and Abbas Salehi will be confirmed as Minister of Intelligence and Culture respectively.
Pezeshkian decided to assign the important role of oil minister to Mohsen Paknejad, an expert with extensive experience in gas field development who has served for many years as a chief consultant to the Iranian oil industry.
Finally, the only female candidate on the presidential list is Farzaneh Sadegh, running for the top post in the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf read the list to lawmakers, who will have two weeks to analyze the proposed names.
