TEHRAN, 3 November 2005 — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad nominated a little-known conservative politician with no industry experience as oil minister of the world’s fourth biggest crude producer yesterday.
Sadeq Mahsouli, who like Ahmadinejad hails from the Revolutionary Guards, faces a parliamentary vote of confidence in a process that is being watched closely by international oil firms keen to do business with OPEC’s second biggest exporter.
A political tug of war over Iran’s most prestigious cabinet job has exposed deep rifts in the ruling conservative camp. Ahmadinejad’s first choice was unexpectedly rejected by lawmakers in August, and by naming Mahsouli the president has ditched the second choice candidate he originally proposed to Parliament’s energy commission.
