Deputy FM for Political Affairs Named

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian appointed Ali Baqeri as his deputy for political affairs as part of his major modifications in the ministry on Tuesday.   
Baqeri was a senior member of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team for six years during the administration of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 
He was also among the critics of the nuclear deal that was later signed during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani in 2015, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 
He will now replace Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s leading negotiator in Vienna, Austria, in talks that aim to restore the JCPOA, but have been at pause since for about three months. 
The foreign minister also made two other appointments, naming Mehdi Safari and Mohammad Fathali as deputies for economic diplomacy and administrative and financial affairs respectively, ISNA reported. 
Safari was former ambassador to China, Russia and Austria and has served as deputy foreign minister in the past. He was also Iran’s special envoy for Caspian Sea affairs. 
With that background, he was thought to be well suited to pursue economic diplomacy, a major priority of President Ebrahim Raeisi’s administration. 
Fathali was also an ex-diplomat in Lebanon and Uzbekistan. 
Amir-Abdollahian appreciated the previous deputies for their services and appointed them as advisors.