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.
The new defense minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, received overwhelming support from lawmakers, garnering 281 out of 288 votes from the 290-seat chamber. Nasirzadeh previously served as the chief of the Iranian air force from 2018 to 2021.
On the other hand, Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi received the lowest number of votes with 163. Notably, Farzaneh Sadegh, a 47-year-old architect, became the first female minister in Iran in over a decade after securing 231 votes for the position of Housing and Road Minister.
