Iranian president announces candidates for foreign, defence ministries

Iran's newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian has proposed Abbas Araghchi and Aziz Nasirzadeh for the positions of foreign minister and defence minister, respectively.

Araghchi served as deputy foreign minister from 2017 to 2021 under President Hassan Rouhani's reformist administration, Caliber.Az reports citing the Russian media.

Araghchi led Iran's delegation in negotiations over the nuclear deal for an extended period. During the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), he served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He currently holds the position of Secretary of Iran's Strategic Council on International Relations.

On July 6, Professor Mahmoud Shouri, a member of the board of directors at the Tehran-based Institute for Iran-Eurasia Studies, said that Araghchi is considered one of the leading candidates for the position of foreign minister of the Islamic Republic.

Major General Nasirzadeh is currently serving as the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and has visited Moscow for official meetings.

All candidates must receive parliamentary approval. Pzeshkian also proposed the following appointments for legislative review:

Mohsen Paknejad, former Deputy Oil Minister, for the position of Oil Minister; Abdolnasser Hemmati, former Governor of the Central Bank, for Minister of Economy; and Esmail Khatib for Minister of Intelligence. Khatib is the only minister from the previous government retaining his portfolio.