Former Head of a Military University Nominated as Proposed Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade

According to the Deputy of the Islamic Republic government, the CEO of the large holding company 'Mapna', which has a history of close cooperation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters, is being introduced by Ebrahim Raisi as the proposed Minister of 'Industry, Mine, and Trade' to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Mohammad Hosseini, the parliamentary deputy of Ebrahim Raisi's government, told the IRNA news agency: 'Abbas Aliabadi', the current CEO of 'Mapna', is being introduced as the proposed Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The 'Mapna' group and its affiliated companies are one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Iran, constructing large thermal power plants and executing major oil, gas, and rail transport projects in Iran. Meanwhile, parts of the vast Mapna company are on the list of punitive sanctions by the United States and the international community, imposed due to the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities and Tehran's risky actions in the region. Abbas Aliabadi previously served as the Deputy Minister of Energy for Electricity and Energy in Hassan Rouhani's government and was the head of the 'Malek Ashtar Industrial University', which is affiliated with the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Support of the Iranian government. Reza Fatemi Amin, the former Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade (IMT) in Ebrahim Raisi's government, was impeached on May 10 with '162 votes'. The state of the 'automobile market' in Iran was the main focus of discussions during the impeachment, which ultimately led to the dismissal of this cabinet minister. The 'Mapna' holding has always held special importance among the leaders of the Islamic Republic, to the extent that Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Iranian government, visited it on May 10, 2014, Hassan Rouhani, the previous president, visited on May 12, 2016, and Ebrahim Raisi, the current president, visited on May 11. In 2016, the Ministry of Oil introduced eight Iranian companies as 'qualified in the field of exploration and production' of oil, with Mapna being named alongside the Khatam al-Anbia Construction Headquarters (affiliated with the IRGC) and the Persia Oil and Gas Development Company (affiliated with the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command).