Tehran: Iranian lawmakers on Sunday approved 16 Cabinet members nominated by recently re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, including the first defence minister unaffiliated with the elite, hard-line Revolutionary Guard in 25 years.
Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said lawmakers approved 16 of 17 proposed ministers, among them Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with 236 votes, and Oil Minister Began Zingano with 230 out of 288 members of parliament who voted. The chamber has 290 seats.
The most votes went to Gen. Amir Hatami for Defence Minister, with 261 votes. It marked the first time Iran has appointed a defence minister who has no ties to the hard-line Revolutionary Guard in nearly 25 years.
