Iran's hard-line parliament has made history by approving all members of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian's Cabinet, marking the first time in over two decades that a leader has successfully secured approval for all his officials from the body. The 19 officials, including the new foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, were all granted approval in a unanimous afternoon vote, a rare occurrence in Iran since 2001.
Araghchi, a 61-year-old career diplomat, played a significant role in the Iranian negotiating team that brokered the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The agreement aimed to limit Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. However, in 2018, former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the deal and imposed additional sanctions on Iran. President Pezeshkian has expressed his intention to work towards reviving the nuclear agreement.
