Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, ran as a reformist candidate.
But when he announced on Sunday that his cabinet nominees included several conservatives and only one woman, he faced a fierce backlash, with a high-profile vice president resigning and political allies accusing him of abandoning campaign promises to bring change.
The resignation on Sunday of Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had been appointed vice president for strategy and had led a search committee for cabinet nominations, shocked Iran’s political circles.
He had been a prominent face of Mr. Pezeshkian’s campaign, traveling across the country and telling voters to give change a chance.
Now, he was abandoning the government in a public display of deep divisions before it was even formed.
Persons:
Masoud Pezeshkian, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Pezeshkian’s, Zarif, “, ”