Proposed Economic Ministers by Behdarif: 'A Team That Did Not Meet Expectations'

Masoud Behdarif introduced a cabinet that sparked significant criticism and even led to Mohammad Javad Zarif's departure from the government. A large part of this criticism was directed at the security and key ministers of the cabinet. On the other hand, the proposed economic team has also failed to meet the expectations of the economic community. Masoud Behdarif previously introduced Hamid PourMohammadi as the head of the Planning and Budget Organization and Ali Tayebnia as a senior advisor, forming part of his economic team. The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran has presented his proposed ministers, including the economic team, to the parliament while still not appointing a new head for the Central Bank. This report looks at the economic team introduced by Behdarif. Abdul Nasser Hemmati has been introduced as the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance. Hemmati has previously held the presidency of the Central Bank, the Central Insurance, and the CEO position at Bank Melli. Born in 1957 in Kaboudar Ahang, he holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Tehran. Although Hemmati is recognized as an economic manager, he began his career in 1980 at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and served as the director of news until 1989 and as the political deputy until 1994. Hemmati is most known for his turbulent tenure during the currency fluctuations between 2018 and 2021 when he was the head of the Central Bank. He took office after rising criticisms of Valiollah Seif's performance at the Central Bank, promising to reduce inflation and prevent the rise of the exchange rate. In August 2018, when Hemmati entered the Central Bank, the point-to-point inflation was 24.2%, and the 12-month consumer inflation was 11.5%. By the end of his tenure in May 2021, point-to-point inflation reached 54.6%, and the 12-month inflation was 51.8%. The dollar rate at the beginning of his presidency was 8,500 tomans but surged by 223% to 27,500 tomans at the beginning of the 13th government. Hemmati, who ran for the presidency in the 13th election with relative support from reformists, finished third with 2.4 million votes after invalid votes. After his electoral defeat, he voiced significant criticisms regarding the economic activities of the Raisi government. Hemmati actively responded to government decisions on social media, attempting to present himself as a critical figure. In one of his sharpest responses, he wrote to the government's official news agency, "Even a first-year economics student knows the difference between point-to-point inflation and annual inflation; either you don't know or you don't want to know." Hemmati is now introduced as the candidate for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance at a time when the Iranian economy requires serious reforms and tough decision-making, making the role of the Minister of Economy crucial in steering economic policies. Mohammad Atabak has been introduced for the position of Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade. Atabak's most significant experience lies in managing large infrastructure projects and industry. He is known in the media as a 'mining' manager due to his activities in the steel industry, so a special emphasis on the mining sector is expected. Atabak has previously served as the economic deputy of the Foundation of the Oppressed and was a member of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce's board of representatives from 2013 to 2021. The newspaper 'Vatan-e Emruz' reacted to his introduction as Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade by stating: "The nomination by the Chamber of Commerce for a ministry that should oversee its performance and set policies for it is a case of conflict and contradiction of interests and is illegal." His master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Michigan, USA, is likely one of his winning cards for gaining the vote of confidence. Born in 1958, Atabak was the CEO of Tehran Cement from 2003 to 2011. His work experience includes vice-presidency at Tehran Cement, CEO and vice-presidency of the board of directors of Ekbatan Company, and membership and presidency of the boards of various companies, including Housing Bank Investment, Sadra Company, and several other production companies. If selected, Atabak will face challenges such as organizing the automotive industry, allocating currency to industries, and addressing liquidity shortages and working capital in the industry—challenges that, unlike Atabak's background, are not related to mining. Mohsen Paknejad, born in 1966, is an old manager of the Ministry of Oil. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tehran and a master's degree in industrial engineering from Amir Kabir University. Paknejad was the planning manager of the Central Iranian Oil Company from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, he was appointed as the deputy manager of integrated planning at the National Iranian Oil Company and worked in that position until 2013. With the start of the 11th government, he returned to the Ministry of Oil and worked for about a year as the director-general of oversight on oil exports and transactions. It is said that Paknejad did not score highly in the strategic committee for selecting ministers and that his name was finalized after other names such as Eshaq Jahangiri, Mahmoud Aminnejad, Behrouz Namati, Roknoddin Javadi, and Gholamhossein Nozari were mentioned. If he succeeds in gaining the vote of confidence, he will face challenges such as energy carrier prices and international sanctions related to Iran's oil industry. Farzaneh Sadegh Malavijerd has been introduced as the only female candidate in the list of proposed ministers for the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development by Masoud Behdarif. Born in 1976, she holds a master's degree in urban planning. She cannot be categorized as either a reformist or a principlist, as she has worked with both Rouhani's and Raisi's governments. Previously, she served as the CEO of the Kowsar Properties Organization belonging to the Martyrs Foundation during Ghazizadeh Hashemi's tenure. In Rouhani's government, she worked as the secretary of the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture of Iran and as the deputy of architecture and urban planning at the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development. On January 17, 2019, she was appointed by former Minister Mohammad Islami as the deputy of urban planning and architecture. In August 2023, she was appointed by current Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash as an advisor on urban planning and architecture. Previously, she was also a director-general in this deputy and served as the secretary of the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture of Iran. Sadegh Malavijerd is recognized as a critic of Zakeri's policies and the hardliners, but she has also collaborated with principlist figures like Ghazizadeh Hashemi. Observers consider her main challenge as the only female minister in the government to be passing through the conservative parliament, especially since the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development has never been led by a female minister. Abbas Aliabadi, born in 1961 in Arak, is the Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade of the 13th government and has now been introduced by Behdarif as the Minister of Energy. Aliabadi holds a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering with a focus on energy conversion from Sharif University of Technology and the University of Tehran, and a PhD in mechanical engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology with a focus on control. His retention in the government by Behdarif has sparked significant criticism. Aliabadi faced issues such as industrial blackouts, production declines, rising producer inflation, and challenges related to the automotive industry during his tenure as Minister of Industry. He previously criticized the management situation in the country, stating, "I told the President that I am a begging minister and have no authority. Production in the country's economy has no commander. Where in the world do they cut off electricity and gas to industries when they face energy problems?" Now, Aliabadi wants to become the minister of the ministry responsible for cutting off electricity to industries, which complicates his situation. Ahmad Midari, born in 1963 in Abadan, is an Iranian economist and was the Deputy of Social Welfare at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare during Rouhani's government. He was the representative of Abadan in the sixth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and a member of the Economic Commission of the Parliament. He holds a PhD in economics and a master's degree in development and economic planning from the University of Tehran. Midari has a long history in the field of cooperatives and welfare, and he is expected to receive less criticism than other proposed candidates. Gholamreza Noori Ghazaljeh, the proposed minister for agriculture, is currently a member of the Agricultural Commission of the Parliament. He has consistently been a member of the specialized Agricultural, Water, and Natural Resources Commission during his three terms in Parliament. For this reason, he is likely to have an easier time gaining a vote of confidence, and if successful, he will head to his ministry from the Parliament. Gholamreza Noori Ghazaljeh holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering-animal husbandry, a master's degree in agricultural management, and is a doctoral student in agricultural policy and development. He has been employed by the Ministry of Agriculture since the 1990s and has previously worked as the deputy and advisor to the minister in the Ministry of Agriculture. Noori Ghazaljeh has previously criticized the performance of the 13th government, stating, "Some (in the government and parliament) say that if we were not here, the country's situation and economic indicators would be much worse."