Second Day of Reviewing Ministerial Candidates by Pezeshkian in Parliament; Araqchi Considers China and Russia as 'Priority' in Foreign Policy

On the morning of the second day of reviewing the proposed cabinet of Masoud Pezeshkian in Parliament, supporters and opponents of the proposed ministers Abbas Araqchi, Abdolnasser Hemmati, and Esmail Khatib spoke. During the Sunday session on August 28, opponents of Abbas Araqchi, the proposed foreign minister of the Iranian president, criticized his performance in the JCPOA negotiations during Hassan Rouhani's presidency. Mohammad Reza Ahmadi, a member of Parliament, stated that national dignity was not respected in the JCPOA negotiations, saying, "The U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA, but we remained in it and fulfilled all our commitments." Amir Hossein Sabati Monfared, another opponent of Araqchi, remarked that a "dangerous game has begun" to secure votes for Araqchi, adding, "Yesterday we went to a friend and he said to vote for all ministers. What kind of reasoning is this? If that's the case, shut down Parliament." This member of Parliament, who was close to Saeed Jalili, a rival of Masoud Pezeshkian during the elections, also played a video of Abbas Araqchi defending the JCPOA. Araqchi responded in the afternoon session by stating that the video shown is his "document of honor" and emphasized that negotiations to lift sanctions in any form is the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and has continued under Ibrahim Raisi's government. He stressed that his program focuses on "neutralizing sanctions while simultaneously working to lift them." The proposed foreign minister reiterated that his policy is to "manage conflict" with the U.S. and added that "removing conflict" with the United States has no place in his plans. Araqchi also stated that China, Russia, and "other countries that have stood by us during difficult times and sanctions," as well as countries in Africa, Latin America, and East Asia are prioritized in the foreign relations of the fourteenth government. He mentioned that if European countries change their "wrong and hostile" behaviors towards the Islamic Republic, they will be placed at the top of the priority list. Meanwhile, Ahmad Azadikhah, a supporter of the proposed foreign minister, stated that Araqchi has a good program for "15 neighboring and aligned countries," and that supporting the "resistance axis" and "engagement with China and Russia" are among Araqchi's other plans. The spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission announced that this commission has approved Abbas Araqchi's qualifications for the position of foreign minister. Abbas Araqchi, born on August 5, 1962, is a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's ambassador to Japan and Finland, a negotiator alongside Saeed Jalili in nuclear talks, and deputy to Javad Zarif in the negotiations leading to the JCPOA. The session to review the qualifications of Abdolnasser Hemmati, the proposed Minister of Economy and a staunch critic of Ibrahim Raisi's government, was also held in Parliament. Hemmati stated that the country's "rooted" problems have brought it close to critical points, saying, "According to the seventh plan, we will avoid price controls." He defended his record during his turbulent tenure as head of the Central Bank from 2018 to 2021, criticizing the economic policies after his management, stating that inflation has been around 40% over the past five years, affecting people's purchasing power. The Economic Commission of Parliament also announced its approval of Hemmati's plans. Hossein Samadami, one of the opponents of this proposed minister, stated that "it is a mistake to test the tested," arguing that Hemmati's performance during his time as head of the Central Bank shows that "he did not pass and his inefficiency caused multiple serious crises." Mohsen Zanganeh, another member of Parliament, stated, "Mr. Hemmati took over the Central Bank with a 20% growth rate of liquidity and handed it over with 40% liquidity." Fatemeh Mohammadi also stated that this proposed Minister of Economy "has a problem with fighting corruption" and that during his management, "astronomical salary managers were retained." However, Shamseddin Hosseini, a supporter of Hemmati, said that despite the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and problems with neighboring countries, "Mr. Hemmati preserved the country's foreign exchange reserves." In the meantime, Fereydoun Mousavi, another supportive representative, stated that Hemmati's presence in the Ministry of Economy would provide the groundwork for a profound transformation in the country's economic structure. The review of Esmail Khatib's qualifications, the proposed Minister of Intelligence, was also held on Sunday, August 28. In this session, Ibrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson for the National Security Commission, stated that after reviewing Khatib's plans and hearing his remarks, the commission considers him qualified for this position. Khatib, who was present at the session, thanked the "broad support of members of Parliament, security and intelligence officials, and leaders and commanders of armed forces" for his candidacy. The proposed Minister of Intelligence defended his record in the thirteenth government, stating that during his tenure, "summons and arrests" have decreased and "interventions were compassionate." Khatib's statements come despite widespread criticism from human rights organizations regarding the severe crackdown on protesters during the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests in 2022 by the institutions under his supervision. Mojtaba Zarei, a representative from Tehran, opposed Khatib's candidacy, stating that he "thinks he has done Mr. Pezeshkian a favor by joining the cabinet," adding that he "will not listen to Mr. Pezeshkian tomorrow either." Gholamhossein Rezvani, another representative from Tehran, also opposed, asking, "Are the omissions in fighting corruption during his tenure defensible?" However, Mohsen Zanganeh, a representative from Torbat Heydarieh, stated that ministers who are "determined in security levels" receive the positive opinion of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. The review of the qualifications of the proposed Ministers of Labor and Health was also conducted. On the second day of reviewing Masoud Pezeshkian's proposed ministers, Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, the proposed Minister of Health, received the votes of the Health and Treatment and Education, Research, and Technology commissions of Parliament. The Social Commission of Parliament also declared Ahmad Midari, the proposed candidate for the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, qualified. However, some representatives spoke against both individuals, who are aligned with the reformist faction. Hossein Ali Hajideligani, a representative from Isfahan, was one of these representatives who spoke out against Midari in the public session on Sunday afternoon, criticizing his plans. Abbas Goudarzi, another representative opposing Midari, questioned, "Why were individuals who support the seditionists introduced to Parliament?" He referred to the "poison cup" letter and labeled it "disgraceful," stating, "All those who had that letter in the sixth Parliament are no longer here and have left, but he has created a title for himself with the support of his friends and was the deputy minister of welfare in Rouhani's government." Ahmad Midari, a representative from the sixth Parliament from the Abadan electoral district and a member of the Economic Commission, was among the signatories of the letter known as the "poison cup." Qasem Ravanbakhsh, a representative from Qom, also considered Midari to be among the radical reformists who, according to him, do not have a good political record. On this day, several representatives also spoke against Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, the candidate for the Ministry of Health, accusing him of supporting the protests of 2022 and stating that he has called the current Parliament "engineered." Rouhollah Abbaspour, a member of the Parliament's Industry and Mines Commission, was among those who spoke against Zafarghandi on this day, accusing him of "instead of using surgical tools to treat people, writing statements in support of riots and undermining the regime." Malek Shariati, a representative from Tehran, also pointed out that during the protests, he wrote on social media that ambulances were filled with military forces, leading to attacks on ambulances and their burning. However, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, in response to the representatives' criticisms, stated that "the president has consulted with relevant authorities regarding all ministers." Ahmad Midari, in his speech after the supporters and opponents' remarks, stated that reformists are "children of Iran" and "loyal to the revolution" and should not pursue a policy of exclusion. In another part of his speech, he said, "We in the Ministry of Labor are responsible for being the voice of the poor and the public prosecutor for the poor." Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, defending his plans, stated that he intends to ensure that people do not suffer from anything other than the pain of illness with "all his strength, capacity, and experience and broad support from the health community." He also addressed the suspicion of his opposition to increasing the capacity of medical fields, stating that he does not oppose the law passed in this regard, adding, "We only said that increasing students has two attachments; one is that you provide the budget for it, and the second is that you provide the professors. If you do not, it will lead to a decrease in quality." The review of the confidence vote for the proposed ministers of the fourteenth government began on Saturday in the open session of Parliament, but the final voting for the proposed ministers is scheduled for Thursday, August 31.