TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran’s ruling party in parliament on Wednesday voted to approve a number of candidates for President Ibrahim Raisi’s new president, state media reports say.
Legislators voted in favor of 18 of the 19 ministers, which the president did five days after the hearing and debate.
He did not approve of Hossein Baghgoli, the newly appointed Minister of Education, whose reputation was criticized at the hearing. He received 76 votes from 286 legislators. The chamber has 290 seats.
The president urged lawmakers to vote in favor of their nominees for government action against the scourge and economic crisis that has plagued US for years.
The President said his foreign policy would focus more on international relations and lift sanctions. New Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who received 270 votes from lawmakers, said his ministry would not “leave the negotiating table” and would do everything possible to remove all obstacles in the country.
Amirabollahian, 56, has served in various organizations for many years. He was second in command to the foreign minister of Arab and African Affairs under the leadership of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a prominent figure in the West for his refusal to assassinate the Nazis and for re-election in 2009.
After Vice President Hassan Rouhani took office in 2013, Amirabollahian retained his job before going on to become a foreign policy adviser to the former Speaker of Parliament. Rouhani made a nuclear deal with international powers that gave Iran relief in exchange for its nuclear program.
At a hearing in Parliament on Sunday, Amirabdollahian said the talks should ensure the rights of the Iranian people. The ambassador also acknowledged relations with neighboring countries, especially with his Iranian counterpart Saudi Arabia “to help the entire region.”
Former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif commends Amirabdollahian for his efforts. “I wish him, the ministry and his superiors, and the new leadership, all the best in international relations,” Zarif said in a tweet.
Javad Owji, 54, a longtime laborer and long-time oil and gas producer, has received 198 votes to become oil minister. Exporting valuables is the main source of income for this country.
As Parliament listened, Owji promised to use “punitive tactics” and use agencies “to smuggle illegal goods out.”
The Cabinet list did not include women, minor surprises and a number of officials from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard army. The chief executive also assists in the appointment of supervisors in the most difficult areas, such as foreign ministers.
Participants in a nuclear deal have been meeting in Vienna for months to try to resume talks. The final rounds of negotiations ended in June with no date to resume. The president has vowed to step down his administration by repealing sanctions, which have eroded Iran’s already diseased economy.
Meanwhile, General Ahmad Vahidi was confirmed Wednesday as the 266 interior minister with a majority of votes.
Vahidi is a former US defense minister appointed by the US in 2010 and is wanted by Interpol for his role in the 1994 genocide in Buenos Aires. The attack killed 85 people and injured hundreds.
Vahidi also served as commander of Iran’s Quds Force in the late 1980’s, which oversees Tehran’s diplomatic mission in the Middle East.
During the day, the President thanked members of parliament for voting.