Iranian President Replaces Two Cabinet Members

Iranian President Ebrahaim Raisi has replaced the minister of agriculture and the head of planning and budget, as the country’s dire economic conditions have contributed to widespread dissatisfaction at the government.

Government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said on April 12 that Agriculture Minister Javad Sadatinejad was replaced by a deputy, Seyed Mohammad Aghaminiri, who will serve as interim minister. 

Raisi also replaced the head of the Program and Budget Organization, Masoud Mirkazemi, with Davoud Manzour, a former deputy head.

Earlier this month, the government announced the resignation of the education minister after a delay in payments to teachers. 

Last year, the labor minister lost his post after protests by workers and retirees over payments.

The Islamic Republic’s increasing isolation, a worsening economic situation triggered by years of sanctions and political instability sparked by ongoing nationwide protests has led to the free fall of the rial.

In February, Iran’s currency had lost 94 percent of its value against the US dollar over the past decade and 55 percent over the past year, according to The Economist. Partly owing to the weakness of the rial, inflation has hovered at about 50 percent for the past year.

Retirees, teachers and other workers have held scattered protests in recent months as Iran has seen waves of anti-government demonstrations since the September 2022 death of a young woman who was detained by morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s dress code.

The protests rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.

The authorities have responded to the women-led protest movement with a fierce crackdown in which more than 520 people were killed and over 20,000 were unlawfully detained, according to activists. After biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.