Evaluation of Ministers' Qualifications by Medicalian; Proposed Industry Minister Says He Seeks to 'Neutralize' the Effects of Sanctions

The session to evaluate the qualifications of the proposed ministers in Masoud Pezeshkian's cabinet continued for the fourth day in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, during which the qualifications and plans of Mohammad Atabak, the proposed Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade, and Hossein Simayi Sarraf, the proposed Minister of Science, Research and Technology, were reviewed. The Economic Commission of the Assembly had approved Atabak's qualifications on Tuesday, August 29, but after the opinions of the commissions and speeches from opponents and supporters in the Assembly, he did not have the opportunity to speak. The proposed Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade stated in his speech on Wednesday, August 30, that he is a 'soldier of the Wilayat' and his plan for the mentioned ministry is aimed at 'neutralizing the effects of sanctions.' Atabak emphasized that his plans for the Ministry of Industry align with 'the general policies of the system and the seventh development plan of the country' and the 20-year vision document of the country. Increasing 'public participation in small and medium enterprises,' supporting car imports to make this market competitive domestically, and defining economic treaties such as ECO, Shanghai, and BRICS as 'positive treaties' were other highlights of his speech. He stated that to improve the safety and fuel situation of cars domestically, 'there is no way but to make it competitive.' Criticisms from representatives the previous day included 'indifference' to the issue of car imports and a lack of relevant executive and specialized experience for the mentioned ministry. Mohammad Atabak, born in 1978, is a senior civil engineering expert from the University of Michigan, USA, but his opponents claim that this proposed minister has no experience even for a single day in the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade. Disagreements in the Assembly over the evaluation of Pezeshkian's cabinet; only the proposed female minister defended herself. Ehsan Azimi Rad, the spokesman for the Education, Research, and Technology Commission, announced in the public session on Wednesday morning that this commission had approved the qualifications of Hossein Simayi Sarraf, the proposed Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, by a majority vote. Hossein Simayi Sarraf, born in April 1968 in Mashhad, holds a PhD in law from Beheshti University. He served as the Secretary of the Government Board during the administrations of Hassan Rouhani and Ebrahim Raisi. In his speech, he stated that we have not taken free thought seriously and warned about the growing generational and cultural rift in Iran. Simayi Sarraf called for respect and preservation of the dignity of professors and academics and emphasized recognizing the 'independence of the institution of science and inquiry.' The proposed Minister of Science stated that 'the state of the university is not good' and based on a study, '30% of students need mental health services.' Alireza Abbasi, a representative from Karaj, Shahriar, and Fardis, opposed the proposed Minister of Science, stating that he has no specific program for this ministry and lacks relevant managerial experience related to his position and the university. This representative attributed the decline in the country's scientific status in the 1990s to 'political maneuvering and sidelining in universities' and warned the proposed Minister of Science not to employ such individuals 'in ministerial and university presidency positions.' This opponent of the proposed Minister of Science also addressed Abbasi, saying: 'Regarding the presence of unveiled girls in the mourning of Ashura, you said there is no need for enjoining good on Ashura. Is this how you want to manage the Ministry of Science?' Fereydoun Hemmati, a representative from Ilam, also stated that the proposed Minister of Science's program neglects 'justice in higher education and the distribution of higher education.' Masoud Khatami, a representative from Golpayegan, and Ahmad Moradi, a representative from Hormozgan, defended the proposed Minister of Science, stating that he has proven 'belief and commitment to the system' with 'sacrifice' and is 'deeply committed to the system.' No representative spoke against the proposed Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Following the Cultural Commission's approval of the programs of Abbas Salehi, the proposed Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, no representatives spoke against Salehi. However, this commission called for the use of 'revolutionary forces' in cultural fields by the proposed Minister of Guidance, the full implementation of 'chastity and hijab' programs, 'youth population' initiatives, and support for the production of 'high-quality films' in accordance with Islamic principles. Abbas Salehi also stated in his speech in the Assembly that the people of Iran today are not even the society of ten years ago, and Iranian women, who have 'transformed' and have higher education, 'want employment.' Salehi added that 'the unemployment rate of educated women is twice that of men' and 'the expectations of women' for employment at senior and mid-level management, as well as in terms of individual and social rights, have increased. He called for attention to these demands and 'social changes' in Iran. The specialized commissions of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also approved the qualifications of Iskandar Momeni, the proposed Minister of Interior. According to media reports in Iran, the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, the Interior Affairs and Councils Commission, and the Urban Development Commission approved Momeni's programs and qualifications for the position of Minister of Interior. Iskandar Momeni, who served as the Deputy Operations of the Islamic Republic's Law Enforcement Force for three years in the 2000s, was active as the Deputy Commander of the Law Enforcement Force during the violent suppression of the November 2019 protests. After being appointed by Hassan Rouhani in 2018 as the Secretary-General of the Drug Control Headquarters, he has been active in this position until now. Mostafa Pour Dehqan, a representative from Ardakan in Yazd province, opposed the proposed Minister of Interior, advising him to appoint individuals in the provinces who are 'not seeking political vendettas' in executive positions. He stated that within the Ministry of Interior, several 'committed employees' from various governments have been 'politically sacrificed' and are now languishing in corners of the Ministry of Interior, while 'some current governors have risen to positions due to political patronage and campaign activities.' During the representatives' comments on Momeni's qualifications, Masoud Pezeshkian was also present in the Assembly for a few minutes. In connection with the evaluation of Pezeshkian's proposed ministers in the Assembly, Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Kayhan Institute, also urged the representatives to 'seriously and vigorously prevent the entry of individuals lacking qualifications and who are at odds with the principles of the revolution and the system into sensitive positions.' In a note titled 'Today's Observer, Tomorrow's Judge' in the Tuesday, August 30 issue of Kayhan newspaper, without naming a specific individual, he wrote: 'How can someone who has dozens of tweets, interviews, and statements against the principles and foundations of the system in their record and performance, who has openly participated in the American-Israeli sedition of 2009 and the subversive riots of Fall 2022, and has been complicit in the murder of dozens of innocent people, receive a vote of confidence from the Assembly as a minister?' The evaluation of the qualifications of the proposed ministers of the fourteenth cabinet has been on the Assembly's agenda since August 27, and until today, the qualifications of 12 ministers have been approved by the Assembly's commissions. The vote of confidence session is scheduled for Thursday, August 31. The specialized commissions of the Assembly approved the qualifications of Gholamreza Noori Ghazaljeh, Amin Hossein Rahimi, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Farzaneh Sadegh Malavijard, and Mohammad Atabak for the ministries of Agriculture, Justice, Defense and Armed Forces Support, Roads and Urban Development, and Industry, Mining, and Trade, respectively. In addition to these five, other ministers whose qualifications have been approved by the specialized commissions of the Iranian Assembly include: Alireza Kazemi for the Ministry of Education, Sattar Hashemi for the Ministry of Communications, Ismail Khatib for the Ministry of Intelligence, Abdolnaser Hemmati for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Abbas Araghchi for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi for the Ministry of Health, and Ahmad Maidari for the Ministry of Cooperatives and Labor.