Iranian Government Spokesman Denies Reports of Jahangiri's Resignation

The spokesman for the Iranian government implicitly responded to reports about the resignation of Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, emphasizing his continued presence in Hassan Rouhani's cabinet. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, Rouhani's government spokesman, tweeted on Monday, July 8, that Jahangiri's presence in the cabinet is a 'strength of Dr. Rouhani's government.' The news website 'Entekhab' reported on Sunday about Jahangiri's 'verbal resignation.' However, 'Entekhab' wrote on Monday that Hassan Rouhani intends to appoint Jahangiri as the head of the 'Special Economic Headquarters' to 'eliminate differences and inject energy' into him; a headquarters that, according to this website, is supposed to coordinate the government's economic performance in the face of U.S. sanctions. Since the beginning of Rouhani's second term, media outlets have reported several times on disagreements between Jahangiri and some senior cabinet officials such as Mahmoud Vaezi, the President's Chief of Staff, and Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman. In recent months, some reformist activists, including Ali Shakouri Rad, have expressed concern about the 'appropriation' of the presidential election results by members of the Moderation and Development Party, especially Mahmoud Vaezi. Eshaq Jahangiri, a senior member of the Construction Party and former Minister of Industries, was appointed as the First Vice President in Rouhani's first term and retained in this position in his second term. He ran in the 2017 presidential election and withdrew in favor of Hassan Rouhani. Reports of disagreements within the cabinet and the government's economic team have surfaced amid rising currency prices and inflation since the beginning of the new year, leading to protests from merchants and criticism from members of parliament regarding the government's performance.