Ali Khamenei Confirmed Masoud Pezeshkian's Report on Coordination of the Fourteenth Cabinet with Him

The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran confirmed Masoud Pezeshkian's statements regarding the coordination of members of the fourteenth cabinet with him, stating that he had 'approved' some of these individuals and 'emphasized' the presence of others. On Tuesday, September 6, Ali Khamenei, during a meeting with Masoud Pezeshkian and members of the fourteenth government, said: 'The President consulted with me for the selection of ministers. I approved some and emphasized others. I did not know many and had no opinion.' He did not refer to Pezeshkian's repeated assertions in the open session regarding the Supreme Leader's agreement with the cabinet and the necessity for the parliament to vote on the mentioned list, which was interpreted as the main factor for the parliament's vote of confidence in the entire list of ministers. He thanked 'God' for the 'success' of the President in gaining the approval of the parliament representatives. These remarks come after Pezeshkian's statements on the day of the vote of confidence in the open session of the parliament about the coordination of his proposed ministers with Khamenei became controversial. In that session, Pezeshkian officially announced that Abbas Salehi, the current Minister of Culture, agreed to have his name included in the cabinet list after a phone call from Khamenei, and Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister, was the first proposed individual approved by him, while Khamenei stated that Farzaneh Sadegh should be included as the Minister of Roads in the cabinet. These statements faced significant backlash in the Persian-speaking social media; opponents wrote about the 'death of the republic' in Iran, and others referred to the fourteenth government as the 'most appointed' cabinet in the history of the Islamic Republic. However, some figures close to and supportive of the government praised Pezeshkian's action, writing that this move opened a 'new chapter' in Iranian politics regarding 'cooperation' with the Supreme Leader to advance affairs. Following the Supreme Leader's remarks today about his 'lack of opinion' on many of Pezeshkian's ministerial list, some of his opponents, including Amir Hossein Sabati, a member of parliament and a member of the Stability Front, criticized the President. Sabati wrote that Pezeshkian spoke in such a way in parliament that 'it seemed that each of these individuals' was proposed by Khamenei and 'it is the representatives' duty to vote for the entire cabinet.' In another part of his remarks on Tuesday, Khamenei also asked cabinet members to use 'young, faithful, revolutionary, committed, and motivated' individuals in selecting their colleagues, which is also important for training the next generation of management in the country. He also referred to Pezeshkian's campaign promises regarding consulting experts and approved this matter, but asked him not to consult with experts who 'seek foreign prescriptions.' In another part of his statements, the Supreme Leader referred to the arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram in France, saying: 'You saw how this poor young man was arrested in France and threatened with 20 years in prison. This shows that their governance has violated. We must also have lawful governance in cyberspace.' He made these remarks while there are extensive restrictions in Iran regarding citizens' free access to the internet, websites, messaging apps, and social networks. The Kayhan newspaper and Hossein Shariatmadari, Khamenei's representative at the Kayhan Institute, who had previously criticized Masoud Pezeshkian for 'spending' the name of the Supreme Leader regarding his cabinet, today also warned about the use of some individuals whom they described as 'divergent' within the ministries. In a note titled 'National Consensus is Not the Employment of Divergent Individuals,' published in the Tuesday, September 6 issue of this newspaper, it was stated: 'Some reports indicate that in several ministries, appointments have been made rapidly and without proper selection and identification, contrary to the President's policy.' This newspaper advised Pezeshkian that in the early days of the fourteenth government, he 'should stand firm and deal with inappropriate appointments, outside the norms and suspicious, to close the door to future crises at a time when the country needs calm and development.'