Amid retaliation rhetoric, Pezeshkian reported to have picked Iran's new Foreign, Defence Ministers

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) It's been over a week, a challenging one though, since Masoud Pezeshkian formally took over as Iran's President, and amid the tensions over the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's assassination and the country's threats for a "harsh punishment" to alleged perpetrator Israel, and he has another week to submit his ministerial candidates for Parliamentary confirmation.

As per the Iranian Constitution, the new President has to submit, within 15 days of taking over, the names of his proposed ministers to the Majles for acceptance. Since Pezeshkian took over on July 30, he has to submit a list by the middle of the month, and then the parliament will vote on each minister individually, as has been the practice.

While there are names of purportedly proposed ministers swirling around and evoking reactions on social media, the Tasnim News Agency, said to be linked to the influential Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, has quoted sources to report President Pezeshkian has decided on three vital ministries.

Former Deputy Foreign Minister and former nuclear talks negotiator Abbas Araqchi, as strongly hinted earlier, is likely to become Foreign Minister, replacing Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Qani, who has been doing considerable heavy lifting in the wake of the Haniyeh assassination, seeking to coalesce diplomatic support for the country as it vows retaliation against Israel.

The name of Ali Akbar Salehi, who served as Foreign Minister in the second Mahmoud Ahmadinejad government after the sudden sacking of Manouchehr Mottaki, was also doing the rounds. On the other hand, Javad Zarif, who held the post across the Hasan Rouhani regime (2013-21) and was a key advisor of Pezeshkian in the 2024 polls, was a non-starter given that the conservative/hardliner-packed Majles was unlikely to ratify his appointment.

Another key pick, as per the source cited by Tasnim News, is Deputy Chief of Armed Forces and former Air Force chief, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh as the Defence Minister.

Incumbent Esmaeil Khatib is likely to retain the post of the Intelligence Minister - a post confined to clerics as its holders must be mujtahids, or high-ranking clerics qualified to independently interpret the Sharia.

Conservative Presidential candidate Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who created quite a stir during the runup to the elections for championing better diplomatic relations, more social freedoms, and opposition to Internet bans, was said to be under consideration for the post.

As per the source, the decision on the Interior Minister, another significant appointment, given Pezeshkian's assurances on loosening social curbs, is likely to be taken on Friday.

Pourmohammadi, former IRGC officer and lawmaker Elias Hazrati, conservative cleric and former Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, and former reformist lawmaker and politician Majid Ansari are said to be in the running.

Pezeshkian has made a number of appointments, since he took over, including Mohammad Reza Aref as the First Vice President,

Aref, 72, had also served as First Vice President under President Mohammad Khatami in his second term (2001-2005). He was Telecommunications Minister in Khatami's first term (1997-2001).

Former Education Minister Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei was appointed by Pezeshkian as his Chief of Staff. Haji-Mirzaei had held the post of minister in the Rouhani regime (2017-19).

Subsequently, former Finance Minister Ali Tayebnia, who held the post in President Rouhani's first term and is credited with slashing inflation from 40 per cent to 10 per cent, was named senior adviser to the President, after he reportedly refused an offer to return to his former post due to "personal reasons".

Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi was named Vice President and head of the Plan and Budget Organisation and Shahram Dabiri as the President's Deputy for Parliamentary Affairs.

Zarif was appointed as the President's Deputy for Strategic Affairs.

Some of the appointments, especially of Zarif, have evoked controversy and criticism, as he had announced that he would not return to public service. Others held most of the appointees were elderly and insiders, belying Pezeshkian's promise to appoint younger people from a wider pool.

Soon, after Pezeshkian's victory, political analyst Mostafa Najafi had listed some of the incoming President's guidelines, including over half of the new ministers being below 50 years and women comprising at least one-fifth of the total. Also, less than half should be previous ministers.

Pezeshkian's office had then issued 18 criteria for new ministers, including "belief in expert work", and "avoiding ethnic, religious, and regional factional tendencies".

The new President, in an interaction earlier this week, said that he will choose his cabinet members based on their competency and expertise in relevant fields, and will prioritise individuals who will use all their capacities and capabilities.

He had stressed that competency and meeting qualification necessities mattered a lot to him, and to overcome the problem of incompetency, it was necessary to create coherence, empathy and unity.

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

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