End of the 'Advisory Council'; Zarif: Women, ethnic groups, and religions have also been proposed

Simultaneously with the inauguration ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian as the new President of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, head of the 'Advisory Council' for selecting ministers for the fourteenth government, announced the end of this council's work. This council was responsible for selecting individuals for the upcoming cabinet. On Tuesday, Zarif stated in a message on X that 'last night, on Monday, August 8, 1403, the last session of the Advisory Council was held, and this council concluded its work. In over 30 half-day sessions, it was able to evaluate the proposals of committees and national figures for each cabinet position based on indicators and, after detailed discussions and secret consultations, introduce the top candidates to the President.' Zarif further mentioned that among the proposals presented to the President, there are several 'capable and deserving youths and women from various ethnic and religious backgrounds.' Previously, Pezeshkian had also criticized ethnic and religious discrimination in holding key positions and called for the participation of all sectors in the governance of the country. The debate over granting 'privileges' to women and minorities for participation in Pezeshkian's cabinet continues. Zarif did not provide further details but stated that the final output of the cabinet proposal process was generally satisfactory to him. On August 5, Pezeshkian mentioned that he would present his cabinet list to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, for 'coordination and consultation' before introducing it to the Parliament. Although the majority of Parliament representatives are from the conservative faction and oppose Pezeshkian and his reformist approach, Khamenei has called on the Parliament and the judiciary to 'cooperate with the government' and stated, 'The success of the President and the new government is the success of all of us.' Despite the Supreme Leader's statements a week ago, Hossein Shariatmadari, the Supreme Leader's representative at Kayhan newspaper, criticized the Advisory Council three days ago in an article, stating, 'Most members of the Advisory Council and its subcommittees are those who have a history of collaborating with enemy intelligence services, security convictions, defending homosexuality, and aligning with the triangle of the U.S., Britain, and Israel in riots and upheavals.' He did not mention specific names in his article, but Ali Tajernia, Somayeh Tavhidlu, and Mohammad Reza Jalai-Pour are among those who are part of the Advisory Council and have a history of arrest following the 2009 protests known as the 'Green Movement.'