Iran’s hard-line parliament approves all members of president’s Cabinet, first time since 2001

Iran's parliament approves all members of President Pezeshkian's Cabinet, marking a rare success for the reformist leader.

Iran's hard-line parliament on Wednesday (August 21) approved all members of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian's Cabinet, the first time in over two decades a leader has been able to get all of his officials through the body.

The approval marks an early win for Mr. Pezeshkian, a longtime lawmaker who found himself catapulted into the presidency after a helicopter crash in May killed his hard-line predecessor.

Getting his officials approved shows Mr. Pezeshkian picked a Cabinet of consensus with names palatable to all of the power centers within Iran's theocracy, as opposed to going for controversial choices as well.

Underlining that point, Mr. Pezeshkian immediately posted an image online with him standing next to Iran's judiciary chief, a Shiite cleric, and the country's parliament speaker, a hard-liner he once faced in the election.

“Consensus for Iran,” he wrote in the caption.

Former Foreign Minister Mohamamad Javad Zarif, who campaigned for Pezeshkian in his election, later resigned as a vice president for the new leader over the Cabinet selections.

Among those in Mr. Pezeshkian's new Cabinet is Abbas Araghchi, 61, a career diplomat who will be Iran’s new foreign minister.