In a significant move, Iran’s hard-line parliament has granted approval for all members of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s Cabinet, marking the first time in over twenty years that a leader has successfully secured the confirmation of all his officials by the body. Pezeshkian, a reformist figure and veteran lawmaker, assumed the presidency following the tragic death of his hard-line predecessor in a helicopter crash in May.
This achievement signifies an early success for Pezeshkian, demonstrating his ability to assemble a Cabinet that appeals to the various power centers within Iran’s theocracy, favoring consensus over controversial selections. Hastening to underscore this unity, Pezeshkian shared an image on social media showing him alongside Iran’s judiciary chief and the parliament speaker, whom he had previously squared off against in the election, with the caption “Consensus for Iran.”
Former Foreign Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif, a supporter of Pezeshkian during his campaign, subsequently resigned as a vice president for the new leader citing disagreements over the Cabinet appointments.
Among the notable personalities in Pezeshkian’s new Cabinet is Abbas Araghchi, a 61-year-old career diplomat slated to serve as Iran’s new foreign minister. Araghchi played a key role in the Iranian negotiating team that brokered the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, a pact that was later abandoned by the United States under then-President Donald Trump.
Earning high support from lawmakers, the new defense minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, a former chief of the Iranian air force, garnered 281 votes out of 288 present lawmakers, while the health minister, Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, received the lowest number of votes at 163.
Furthermore, the Cabinet includes Iran’s first female minister in more than a decade, Farzaneh Sadegh, who will oversee the Housing and Road Ministry. Additionally, Pezeshkian’s proposed Intelligence Minister Ismail Khatib, Justice Minister Amin Hossein Rahimi, and Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi, who previously served under the late President Ebrahim Raisi, were all approved by the parliament.
The parliament’s endorsement of all proposed ministers is a rare occurrence in Iran, known for its tradition of rejecting nominees, making Pezeshkian’s success particularly noteworthy. The only other president to have achieved a similar feat was former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, who obtained the vote of confidence for all his ministers in 1997 and 2001.
