TEHRAN: The Iranian Parliament on Thursday rejected the endorsement of two of the three proposed women Cabinet ministers and only approved Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi as health minister, the first-ever woman minister in the 30-year history of the country.
The two other women Cabinet nominees, Susan Keshavarz for social welfare and Fatemeh Ajorlou for education, were rejected by the 286 deputies present at the voting.
The third rejected nominee was Mohammad Ali-Abadi, a close aide of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was nominated for the energy ministry.
Speaking to reporters as the Parliament was voting for his proposed Cabinet, President Ahmadinejad vowed that Iran would not bend to Western deadlines for nuclear talks.
The deputies, however, approved 18 ministers proposed by Ahmadinejad including a defense minister wanted by Argentina for a deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center.
The wide mandate from lawmakers was a boost for the embattled president and considered a vote of confidence for his crackdowns on political opponents and tough stance against Western pressure for talks on the nation’s nuclear program.
“No one can impose sanctions against Iran anymore. We welcome sanctions. We can manage ourselves (despite sanctions). But we have given our package of proposals,” Ahmadinejad said.
The US and some allies worry that Iran seeks to develop nuclear weapons, but Iran’s leaders say they only seek peaceful reactors for electricity.
Ahmadinejad also is struggling against a variety of internal rifts after his disputed re-election in June.
Opposition groups that claim the outcome was rigged have gained support from some influential clerics and even former Ahmadinejad backers who are troubled by the harsh post-election clampdowns and alleged abuses against detainees, including rapes.
But Ahmadinejad still counts on the support of the powerful Revolutionary Guard and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran.
In the Parliament vote, Ahmadinejad won approval for many key posts that included the foreign, interior and intelligence ministries.
New Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi received overwhelming support. Vahidi gained support earlier this week when lawmakers said they would not bow to foreign pressures to reject him.
Vahidi is wanted over charges of involvement in the bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that left 85 people dead. Vahidi is one of five prominent Iranians sought by Argentina in the bombing.
He was the commander of a special unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard known as the Quds Force at the time of the attack.
“All those who act against Iran will face the iron fist of the Iranian government, nation and armed forces,” Vahidi said. Among the 286 lawmakers attending the open session, Vahidi received 227 votes.
Crucially for Ahmadinejad, heavyweight nominees including the oil, defense, intelligence, interior, economy and foreign ministers were all confirmed by the Parliament.
