President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday nominated new ministers to take the helm of the of economy, labor, industry and roads, as his administration faces mounting pressure to stabilize an economy thrown into turmoil by mismanagement and renewed US sanctions.
In a letter sent to the parliament, Rouhani appointed Farhad Dejpasand as the new minister of economic affairs and finance, ISNA reported.
Dejpasand is an academic who has worked as deputy head of the Plan and Budget Organization, among other postings.
If confirmed, he will replace Masoud Karbasian, whom lawmakers voted to remove from office in August following a sharp decline in the rial currency and the continuing deterioration of the country's economic situation.
Mohammad Shariatmadari, the outgoing minister of industries, mining and trade, has been nominated to the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare to fill the post previously held by Ali Rabiei, who was sacked by parliament in August.
Shariatmadari had earlier submitted his resignation from his post at the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade. The president accepted it on and appreciated his "sincere efforts" during his tenure.
Reza Rahmani, who has formerly headed the Majlis Mining and Industry commission, was named the new industry minister.
Mohammad Eslami was nominated to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, after the president accepted the resignation of Abbas Akhoundi who had survived a no-confidence vote in parliament twice.
Rouhani thanked Akhoundi for his "continuous endeavors" during his time at the ministry.
Rahmani and Eslami will, for now, serve as caretaker ministers. The two other ministries are also currently being run by caretakers.
Economic Challenges
The latest reshuffle in top economic posts came, as the administration is struggling to address a host of challenges, including high inflation, unemployment and a slump in rial's value.
The deteriorating economic problems have been blamed on flawed domestic policies and the reimposition of sanctions by the United States after it decided in May to pull out of a nuclear agreement signed between Tehran and major world powers in 2015.
Akbar Ranjbarzadeh, a member of Majlis Presiding Board, told IRNA on Sunday the parliament will discuss the nominations and vote on the new proposed ministers on Oct. 28.
Hossein Ali Amiri, vice president for parliamentary affairs, was quoted by ISNA as telling a news conference on Sunday that Rouhani will attend the session to defend his nominees for the ministerial posts.
Rouhani himself was summoned to answer lawmakers' questions in parliament in August, the first time that has happened during his five years in office.
Earlier this year, anger over the government's handling of the economy erupted into public protests across the country.
The International Monetary Fund predicts that Iran's economy would shrink 1.5% this year with a drop of 3.6% seen in 2019, before recovering slowly.
