Unlock Digest Editor for free
FT Editor Roula Khalaf picks her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has nominated a former nuclear negotiator as foreign minister for his proposed cabinet as he faces the dual challenge of resuming talks with Western powers on easing sanctions while managing the risk of confrontation with Israel.
Abbas Araghchi, a veteran diplomat who played a key role in negotiating the 2015 nuclear deal, has been sidelined by hardliners in recent years as they have consolidated control.
Western diplomats in Tehran and Iran’s business community welcomed the selection of Araghchi, presented to parliament on Sunday along with 18 other cabinet nominations, saying it was a sign the republic could adopt a more pragmatic approach to its protracted nuclear standoff with the West in the hope of securing sanctions relief.
However, there are growing concerns that the republic is on the verge of conflict with Israel as Iranian leaders have vowed to respond to the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.
A senior Western diplomat in Tehran highlighted the difficulties of dealing with outgoing hardliners, saying Araghchi would “make a lot of difference” on routine matters. But the diplomat added that his appointment was unlikely to signal a major shift in foreign policy, with major decisions being made by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, and the Revolutionary Guards.
The new government faced an immediate crisis after Haniyeh’s assassination on 31 July, hours after he attended Pezeshkian’s inauguration, dealt a significant blow to the republic’s prestige.
Pezeshkian, the country’s first reformist president in two decades, has backed Tehran’s right to respond to an attack it says was carried out by Israel with a short-range projectile.
Pezeshkian, who unexpectedly won a snap election following the death of former president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May, secured his victory in last month’s runoff election against a hardline candidate.
He has said that Iran’s economy — hampered by currency devaluation, stagnation and years of inflation of around 40 percent — cannot recover while U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program remain in place. Pezeshkian has also promised to ease social restrictions on women, reduce internet censorship and improve the representation of ethnic and religious minorities, as well as youth, in his government.
Pezeshkian has nominated Farzaneh Sadegh, a prominent architect, as his sole female candidate. If approved by the hard-line parliament, she will head the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and become only the second female minister in the republic’s history.
None of the cabinet nominations came from the Sunni religious minority, disappointing reformers who had hoped for broader inclusion. Their exclusion underscores resistance within the Shia-dominated theocracy.
“We are not desperate but we are saddened by this level of discrimination and neglect,” said a Kurdish cultural activist. “Everyone knows that the votes of Sunnis and ethnic minorities helped Pezeshkian win, but this is not reflected in the cabinet choices.”
Reformist politicians say Pezeshkian did not go far enough in choosing his cabinet, but added that he had to compromise with hardliners after pledging to form a national unity government.
In the first sign of emerging discord, former Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif, who signed the nuclear deal with world powers and played a key role in rallying support for Pezeshkian, resigned as vice president for strategic affairs.
Zarif, who also heads a committee tasked with recommending cabinet nominees, said he felt “ashamed” that the nominees had failed to deliver on promises to include women, youth and minorities.
Aides to the president have acknowledged that Pezeshkian has consulted Khamenei on his cabinet picks. While the strategy may help him mitigate hard-liners’ resistance and secure support for some limited reforms, it also limits his ability to fully implement his campaign promises.
Notably, Pezeshkian retained the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization and the intelligence minister from the previous hardline government.
Parliament has a week to consider the nominees. Khamenei has urged the legislature to cooperate with the new government to ensure Iran speaks with “one voice.”
