Nobakht: No Further Changes in the Cabinet Will Occur

Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the spokesman for the eleventh government, stated on Wednesday evening that currently, changes and adjustments are limited to three ministries, and no further changes will take place in the cabinet. In an interview with the television program "Tonight's Headline," Nobakht said: "The government has been monitoring and evaluating from the beginning, and certain issues arose that necessitated changes in governors, which were carried out. Changes are made to improve affairs." He added: "The cabinet reshuffle and the resignation of three ministers from the eleventh government were also in this context and aimed at improving the executive affairs of the country." Nobakht referred to the resignations of the ministers of Sports and Youth, Education, and Culture and Islamic Guidance on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the spokesman for the eleventh government emphasized that no further changes will occur in the cabinet for now. Regarding the possibility of changes in other ministries, he stated that the president has no new decisions regarding further changes but is closely monitoring all areas and will make recommendations or warnings wherever deemed necessary. Over the past three years, some thought that there would be extensive changes, but it was not as exaggerated as it seemed. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht also mentioned that "the president will soon introduce his proposed ministers for the three ministries of Sports and Youth, Education, and Culture and Islamic Guidance to the parliament." The government spokesman noted that the three changes in the ministries showed that the government could provide better services and emphasized: "The cultural sector was a priority for the president to enhance the status of culture, and when Mr. Rouhani reached a conclusion, he acted." Nobakht's reference to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance likely pertains to the controversies surrounding the holding of concerts in Mashhad and then in Qom. Following the opposition from the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad and judicial authorities in Khorasan Razavi province against holding music concerts in Mashhad, Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture, announced that music performances would not take place in these cities. However, this issue prompted a reaction from Hassan Rouhani, who stated: "Anyone who wakes up in the morning and finds a podium cannot legislate, and the minister should not comply because the minister must adhere to the law." In this context, three thousand musicians wrote a letter to the president asking him to "defend the dignity of the music community." Meanwhile, the Minister of Culture also wrote in his resignation letter: "Considering the nature of culture and art and the deep disagreements among intellectual figures regarding cultural and artistic issues on one hand, and the efforts of opponents and ill-wishers to thwart any positive cultural movement of this ministry from the beginning of its work until now, it has been attacked more than other executive bodies, and most of its activities have been undermined in an atmosphere filled with falsehoods, slanders, and unfounded accusations." In this context, the appointment of caretakers for the three ministries of Education, Culture and Islamic Guidance, and Sports was also announced. The Minister of Education of Hassan Rouhani's government also resigned from his position, and "two ministers" of Rouhani's government resigned "to repair and strengthen the eleventh cabinet."