Iran’s new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, has proposed the candidacies of Abbas Araghchi and Aziz Nasirzadeh for the positions of Foreign Minister and Defense Minister, respectively, according to Pezeshkian’s press office.From 2017 to 2021, Araghchi served as Deputy Foreign Minister in the second government of reformist President Hassan Rouhani. Araghchi has long led the Iranian delegation in negotiations over the nuclear deal.
During the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), he served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He is currently the Secretary of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations.
Major General Nasirzadeh currently holds the position of First Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces.
All candidates must receive parliamentary approval. Pezeshkian also presented to the legislature the candidacy of Mohsen Paknejad, former Deputy Head of the Ministry of Oil, for Iran’s Minister of Oil, Abdolnaser Hemmati, former head of the Central Bank, for Minister of Economy, and Esmail Khatib for Minister of Intelligence.
Khatib is the only minister from the previous government who retains his ministerial portfolio.
