Tehran, Iran, Aug. 8
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani has presented the Parliament with the list comprised of 17 nominees for the ministerial positions of his new cabinet, Iran’s IRNA reported Aug.8.
More than half of proposed cabinet members were replaced, while no woman was nominated for any position.
Proposed cabinet creates the general view of adaptation of the technocracy as the main theme for the second term of Rouhani.
Hossein Ansari Rad, reformist commentator, told Trend on Aug 8 that, Habibollah Bitaraf, the nominee for the Ministry of Energy is a “highly capable and honest” man.
Everyone who knew him, during his tenure in the Mohamamd Khatami administration (1997-2005) as the Minister of Energy, said that he was a capable professional, Ansari Rad stated.
Overlooking the fact of being the youngest (36 years old) among the nominees, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, proposed by Rouhani for the post of the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, was characterized by the sources at the Ministry as “a highly talented person.”
Azari Jahromi previously headed the Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of Iran.
Rouhani has made another radical turn by proposing Army General Amir Hatami for the post of the Minister of Defense, shifting from a Revolution Guards member and incumbent minister Hossein Dehqan.
Nevertheless, the fate of the Ministry of Science is still unknown. The Ministry was not on the list given to the Parliament on Tuesday. Just one day earlier, incumbent Minister of Science Mohammad Farhadi said that, Rouhani will introduce Ali Khaki Seddiq as his nominee for the proposed position..
Khaki, born in Khorramabad in 1962, holds the position of Dean at Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology, as well as being a teaching professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of that university.
Speaking to Trend on condition of anonymity, one of Khaki’s students described him as “a number one in his field of specialty that can turn out to be a good Minister of Science as well.”
Nonetheless, despite Farhadi’s earlier statement, the absence of any name on the list presented may point to lingering disagreements over the nominee to be presented to the Parliament.
List of proposed ministers:
Bijan Namdar Zanganeh – Oil Ministry
Mohammad Javad Zarif – Foreign Ministry
Mashoud Karbasian – Financial Ministry (newcomer)
Mahmoud Alawi – Intelligence Ministry
Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi – Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (newcomer)
Mohammad Bathaei – Ministry of Education (newcomer)
Hassan Hashemi – Ministry of Healthcare and Medical Education (newcomer)
Ali Rabeei – Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social welfare
Mahmoud Hojjati – Ministry of Agriculture
Alireza Avaei – Ministry of Justice (newcomer)
Amir Hatami – Ministry of Defense (newcomer)
Abbas Akhoundi – Ministry of Roads and Urban Development
Mohammad Shariatmadari – Ministry Industry and Business (newcomer)
Abbas Salehi – Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (newcomer)
Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli – Ministry Internal Affairs
Habibollah Bitaraf – Ministry of Energy (newcomer)
Masoud Soltanifar – Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports