As newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian formed his cabinet, the country’s Supreme Leader—widely recognized as the ultimate authority in Iran—made a vain effort to appear detached from the selection process.
"Mr. President also consulted with me, and I endorsed some of the individuals I was familiar with or whose competence was conveyed to us through reliable sources. I emphasized that certain individuals should definitely be in the cabinet, while for many others, I simply stated that I had no opinion," Ali Khamenei said after the selection process concluded.
On the other hand, Pezeshkian, in an effort to defend his ministerial choices, emphasized his coordination with Khamenei. As a result, the parliament voted in favor of all the proposed ministers, despite the fact that just the day before, the largest faction in the parliament—representing more than two-thirds of the votes—had announced it would not support four of the nominees.
"The Islamic Guidance Minister initially did not want to join; Sir [Khamenei] ordered him, and he came along. I don't want to say these things; why are you forcing me to? I don’t want to go into details, but I want to say that I coordinated [with Khamenei] before coming here. Sir [Khamenei] himself said that Mrs. Sadeq should be in the cabinet. All these esteemed individuals have joined with coordination and understanding," Pezeshkian said.
Two key questions arise, which can help clarify the process and structure of ministerial selection in the Islamic government: What are the legal and actual roles of the Islamic Republic’s Leader in choosing ministers? How does this role influence the selection process, and what are its consequences?
Extralegal interference
Iran's Guardian Jurist, known as the "Vali-ye Faqih" or "Supreme Leader," is the highest authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. To understand the role of the Guardian Jurist in selecting ministers, examining the Constitution alone is insufficient. According to the Constitution, the president nominates ministers, and the parliament approves or rejects them.
However, in practice, real political power lies with the Guardian Jurist, whose authority is absolute, unrestrained, and unaccountable. If he does not approve of a ministerial candidate and that candidate is still introduced, he can create three specific political challenges in the face of that decision.
First, the Guardian Jurist or his office would signal to parliament members not to vote for the candidate. If they defy this signal, the Guardian Council could disqualify them from the next election or initiate a criminal case against them.
Second, the Guardian Jurist could employ parallel security agencies, such as the IRGC intelligence, to undermine the candidate or damage their reputation.
Lastly, he could interfere with or disrupt the candidate’s ability to perform their duties effectively.
During Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's first term as president in the early 1990s, Khamenei's influence over the cabinet was relatively limited, as he was still in the early years of his role as Supreme Leader following the death of Ruhollah Khomeini, who had wielded considerable power. However, by Rafsanjani's second term, Khamenei had begun to consolidate his authority and exerted more influence over the selection of key ministers, including those for Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, Islamic Guidance, and Defense.
Under Mohammad Khatami's administration (1997-2005), Khamenei, along with the institutions under his control, took steps to ensure that key ministries—such as Foreign Affairs, Justice, Intelligence, Islamic Guidance, and Defense—remained under their influence. After a series of assassinations of dissidents and writers by Intelligence Ministry agents, Khatami succeeded in appointing his own choice for the Intelligence Ministry. However, when it came to the Ministry of Interior, Khamenei intervened by directing the Majles (parliament) to impeach Khatami’s preferred candidate and install his own choice instead.
In Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first term as president (2005-2009), he and Khamenei maintained a harmonious relationship with little to no tension. During his second term, however, a significant rift emerged between them over the appointment of the Minister of Intelligence, Haydar Moslehi. In protest of Khamenei's decision, Ahmadinejad refused to attend work for 11 days, but ultimately, Khamenei's choice prevailed. This rift persisted for the remainder of Ahmadinejad’s presidency.
Hassan Rouhani secured his position by accepting Khamenei's vetoes and influence over the selection of ministers, which helped maintain a tension-free relationship. In contrast, Ebrahim Raisi was so closely aligned with Khamenei that his ministerial choices naturally reflected the Supreme Leader's preferences. This level of coordination was so strong that Khamenei even instructed Pezeshkian to ensure that his cabinet continued to follow the path set by Raisi.
Through this approach, Khamenei has gradually taken over the power to veto or impose cabinet members on the president without being accountable for their performance. Previous presidents often concealed this reality to avoid embarrassment and conflict with Khamenei.
Pezeshkian openly exposing Khamenei's interference in the ministerial selection process, has sparked resentment among some of Khamenei's loyalists in media outlets like Kayhan Daily.
The President typically expects three things from his ministers: loyalty to him, alignment with parliamentary expectations (to avoid impeachment), and enough public support to secure votes for him and his political coalition.
In contrast, Khamenei demands only loyalty and obedience. His involvement in selecting ministers thus ensures his absolute authority, channels resources into his economic interests, and guarantees the strict implementation of his policies.
Implications of the selection process
In Iran, the selection process for high-ranking officials often leads to the appointment of individuals with certain common traits. These individuals often lack a specific policy plan and are prepared to make promises to stay in power. They are typically adept at pleasing those in power and skilled in hiding corruption and inefficiencies within the government.
Despite claims of prioritizing merit and expertise in the selection of ministers, the level of government expertise in Iran has thus steadily declined, and the principle of meritocracy has been disregarded.
Competent individuals never attain high-level positions such as ministers or members of parliament. When experts are appointed to lower-level roles, they are often dismissed swiftly.
In one rare example, Kaveh Madani, a distinguished environmental expert and former deputy of the Environmental Protection Organization, was removed from his position quickly despite his expertise.
Political cliques and entrenched factions are determined to uphold the influence of those who further their interests and reinforce their own power. As a result, inefficiency, lack of transparency, and corruption have increased, leading to a growing erosion of public trust in the state.
The move was reportedly part of a strategy to present Afghan refugees as Iranian citizens who would vote in the 2024 parliamentary elections and support the anticipated re-election bid of former President Ebrahim Raisi in 2025. Since 2020, Iranians have increasingly resisted participating in elections, which are widely perceived as biased and unfair, favoring hardline factions, including the ultraconservative Paydari Party.
During the past weeks, numerous reports in the Iranian press and social media posts have accused Afghan immigrants of being unwelcome elements exacerbating the country's already strained employment, health, and education sectors.
Iran has been grappling with a severe economic crisis since 2018, following the United States' withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal and the subsequent imposition of sanctions. The inefficient, government-controlled economy has struggled to manage the fallout, with inflation soaring above 40 percent.
Public infrastructure, already weakened by years of inadequate investment, is buckling under the pressure. School buildings are crumbling, and teachers earn as little as $250 per month. This summer, a severe power shortage gripped the country, leaving industries idle and homes enduring prolonged blackouts.
Amid these dire conditions, many Iranians argue that the country is simply not in a position to accommodate additional migrants. They accuse the government of negligence in failing to stem the influx of Afghan refugees, which, according to some estimates, has added 8 million people to the population—roughly 10 percent of Iran's total.
However, following the election of President Massoud Pezeshkian, some recent reports have sought to ease societal tensions in Iran. One of the latest reports argued that hostility towards Afghan immigrants is, in fact, an anti-Iranian stance. The report contended that the campaign against the presence of Afghans in Iran represents a form of hostile nationalism that fosters irrational xenophobia.
Meanwhile, other reports have revealed that contractors associated with the Tehran Municipality have been exploiting young Afghan children, employing them as trash collectors and recycling workers for wages that are up to five times lower than the minimum wage.
A Tehran City Councilor told Khabar Online that these children do not have identification documents and bank cards so if they do not receive their pay for any reason, they cannot file a complaint against the contractors in Iranian courts. They have no insurance or job security and contractors often impose difficult working conditions on them.
Meanwhile, an official acknowledged that the Municipality is aware that some Afghan children employed in its operations are becoming involved in social issues, including juvenile delinquency. He admitted that these children have entered Iran illegally and warned that without decisive action from the authorities, this delinquency could escalate into a significant and unresolvable social crisis.
Meanwhile, due to the extremely high fertility rate among Afghan women living in Iran, as much as 50 percent of all births in Alborz Province are attributed to Afghan refugees. An official from an insurance company reported that up to 73 percent of these births have been performed via C-section, which is more expensive than natural childbirth. He also noted that, in line with an agreement with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, up to 6,000 of the poorest refugees are provided with free health insurance.
As in other countries experiencing high rates of immigration, there are conflicting accounts of how Iran treats its Afghan refugee population. Some reports suggest that Afghan refugees are being recruited to fight in the war in Syria, while others claim they are being used to compensate for the lack of Iranian participation in elections.
Baku has been demanding the corridor in southern Armenia to connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan enclave separated by Armenian territory. Moscow and Baku want Russia to monitor and control the corridor, but Yerevan and Tehran are opposed to such a scheme and argue that even if a transport route were to be established, Armenia should have control over it.
In a Monday "meeting" with Russia's ambassador to Tehran, the director-general of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Eurasia Department expressed Iran's opposition to "any geopolitical changes in the Caucasus".
The Iranian official told Russia's envoy that "respecting national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and mutual interests of countries is the guarantor of lasting peace and a foundation for regional cooperation in the Caucasus," according to the Foreign Ministry's readout of the talks.
"In this meeting, opposition to changes in recognized international borders and geopolitical alterations in the region, as well as the necessity to consider the legitimate interests and concerns of all regional countries, was emphasized," the statement said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently angered Iran by expressing his support for the establishment of the controversial Zangezur corridor during Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Baku.
Iran has always opposed the establishment of the transport corridor which will eliminate Iran's direct access to Armenia, if the corridor is not controlled by Yerevan.
In a meeting with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan on July 30, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reiterated Iran's opposition to Zangezur corridor which he said the Islamic Republic considers it “detrimental” to Armenia’s interests.
Last month, Iran congratulated the “government and people of Ukraine” on their Independence Day, in a move that was interpreted by some as a response to Russia’s recent shift of policy about the corridor.
In December 2023, Moscow also sparked outrage in Iran by repeating its support for negotiations between Iran and the UAE over the three disputed Islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran summoned the Russian envoy after Moscow signed a joint statement with Arab nations calling for negotiations.
Russia’s long delay in signing a 20-year comprehensive cooperation agreement with Iran despite the aid Iran has offered to Russia in its war against Ukraine has also irritated the Islamic Republic.