Pezeshkian’s cabinet is a combination of criminal and plundering gangs from Raisi’s and Rouhani’s governments
The conflict between hostile factions within the regime is intensifying
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said: Massoud Pezeshkian, the regime’s new president, found himself positioned midway between Rouhani and Raisi. His cabinet represents a blend of criminal and corrupt elements from both Raisi’s and Rouhani’s administrations. From the outset, he claimed that his involvement stemmed from his concern over a looming threat to the regime—a threat that has intensified with the growing internal strife among the regime’s warring factions.
Mrs. Rajavi added: Pezeshkian himself acknowledged that his primary objective was to implement Khamenei’s policies. Nonetheless, in sharp contrast to the religious dictatorship, the overarching aim of the Iranian people remains the dismantling of Khamenei’s regime and the entire Velayat-e Faqih system, with the ultimate goal of establishing a democratic republic.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the regime’s new president, found himself positioned midway between Rouhani and Raisi. His cabinet represents a blend of criminal and corrupt elements from both Raisi's and Rouhani's administrations.
From the outset, he claimed that his involvement stemmed…— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 11, 2024
The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance reminds that several ministers introduced by Pezeshkian are ministers or senior officials of Ebrahim Raisi’s government, including:
– Esmail Khatib, Minister of Intelligence, who held the same position in Raisi’s government
– Abbas Aliabadi, Minister of Energy, who held the same position in Raisi’s government
– Alireza Kazemi, Minister of Education, who was the acting minister of the same ministry in Raisi’s government
– Amin Hossein Rahimi, Minister of Justice, who was the head of the Supreme Audit Court in Raisi’s government
– Farzaneh Sadegh, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, who was the deputy minister of the same ministry in Raisi’s government
Several ministers introduced by Pezeshkian were deputy ministers of Hassan Rouhani or high-ranking officials in his government, including:
– Abdolnaser Hemmati, Minister of Economy, who was the Bank Markazi Governor in Rouhani’s government from 2018
– Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was the Deputy for Legal and International Affairs in Rouhani’s first term and Political Deputy in his second term, and has always been a devoted follower of Khamenei
– Mohsen Paknejad, Minister of Oil, who was the Deputy Oil Minister in Rouhani’s government from 2018
– Ahmad Meydari, Minister of Labor, who has been the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Welfare since 2013 in Rouhani’s government
– Mohammad Reza Salehi, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, who was Rouhani’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in 2016 and 2017
– Abbas Salehi, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, who was Deputy Minister of Culture in Rouhani’s first term and Minister of Culture in his second term
– Hossein Simaei Sarraf, Minister of Science, who has been the Secretary of Rouhani’s Cabinet since 2019
The Ministers of Interior and Defense, and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, are as always under Khamenei’s command:
– Eskandar Momeni, Minister of Interior, is a Revolutionary Guard Brigadier General who has been a commander of the repressive State Security Force (SSF) and was an advisor to the President in both Rouhani’s and Raisi’s governments
– Aziz Nasirzadeh, Minister of Defense, is a Basij Brigadier General who was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces during Raisi’s term and the Air Force Commander under Khamenei’s command during Rouhani’s term
– Revolutionary Guard Brigadier General Mohammad Eslami, who was introduced by Pezeshkian yesterday as the Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization, also held the presidency of the regime’s Atomic Energy Organization during Raisi’s era. In 1987, he was the first head of the Revolutionary Guards Research Center, which started the regime’s missile and nuclear project and met with Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb.
Pezeshkian announced on July 19: “I came because I saw the regime in danger… Unfortunately, during this period, there were extensive boycotts to prevent people from participating in the elections. In the second round of parliamentary elections, only 8 percent participated, and this level of participation was very dangerous. If people’s participation in the presidential election had continued in this way, unfavorable conditions would have prevailed, and the entire system would have been questioned” (Jamaran website).
Khamenei’s new president emphasized on July 23: “We must be able to form a cabinet… that moves together towards those policies defined by the Supreme Leader” (Regime TV).
Pezeshkian said at the inauguration ceremony by Khamenei: “My mission and responsibility, and that of the future government, is a commitment to the vision defined by the Supreme Leader and the general policies he has communicated” (Regime TV, July 28, 2024).
According to Ali Khamenei’s website on July 26, Pezeshkian clarified regarding the selection of his cabinet members that he will finally go to Khamenei and “with coordination and consultation with him, we will reach a final conclusion to introduce these [ministers]… We have the general policies of the Supreme Leader, even in these debates and elections I was saying that these policies are the guiding light of our path and define our goal.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
11 August 2024
