President Masoud Pezeshkian in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday appointed Fatemeh Mohajerani as the new spokesperson for the Iranian government, in a historic first. Mohajerani is the first woman to ever hold this position in Iran.
Who is Fatemeh Mohajerani
Mohajerani, aged 54 years old, was born in the city of Arak in 1970. She obtained her Doctorate of Business Administration from the Edinburgh Campus of Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, Tehran Times reported.
During the government of Hassan Rouhani, Mohajerani held the position of head of the Technical and Vocational Training University of Shariati, which is an institution specifically for female students.
In 2017, she was also chosen to lead the Center for Brilliant Talents. Throughout her career, Mohajerani has held various other roles within the Education ministry.
This is the most recent appointment of a woman to a senior position. According to news agency IANS, other women holding high-ranking roles in the government are:
Shina Ansari
Shina Ansari, who was appointed last week as the head of the Department of Environment is one of them. Ansari, a PhD holder in Environmental Management from the Science & Research University presently the Advisor at the Air Quality Control Centre at Tehran Municipality.
Prior to this role, she held the positions of Head of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Municipality and General Director of the Bureau of Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Monitoring in the Department of Environment.
Farzaneh Sadeq Malvajard
Farzaneh Sadeq Malvajard has been confirmed as Iran’s Roads and Urban Development Minister, making her the second woman to hold a ministerial position since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Malvajard, who served as the Deputy Minister of Urban Planning and Architecture from January 2019 to July 2023, secured 230 votes out of the approximately 285 lawmakers present during the parliamentary session when the ministerial nominees were presented earlier this month.
Furthermore, the cabinet meeting also witnessed the selection of Elias Hazrati, a former member of the Iranian Parliament, as the new Chairman of the Government’s Information Council.
Who is Fatemeh Mohajerani
Mohajerani, aged 54 years old, was born in the city of Arak in 1970. She obtained her Doctorate of Business Administration from the Edinburgh Campus of Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, Tehran Times reported.
During the government of Hassan Rouhani, Mohajerani held the position of head of the Technical and Vocational Training University of Shariati, which is an institution specifically for female students.
In 2017, she was also chosen to lead the Center for Brilliant Talents. Throughout her career, Mohajerani has held various other roles within the Education ministry.
This is the most recent appointment of a woman to a senior position. According to news agency IANS, other women holding high-ranking roles in the government are:
Shina Ansari
Shina Ansari, who was appointed last week as the head of the Department of Environment is one of them. Ansari, a PhD holder in Environmental Management from the Science & Research University presently the Advisor at the Air Quality Control Centre at Tehran Municipality.
Prior to this role, she held the positions of Head of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Municipality and General Director of the Bureau of Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Monitoring in the Department of Environment.
Farzaneh Sadeq Malvajard
Farzaneh Sadeq Malvajard has been confirmed as Iran’s Roads and Urban Development Minister, making her the second woman to hold a ministerial position since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Malvajard, who served as the Deputy Minister of Urban Planning and Architecture from January 2019 to July 2023, secured 230 votes out of the approximately 285 lawmakers present during the parliamentary session when the ministerial nominees were presented earlier this month.
Furthermore, the cabinet meeting also witnessed the selection of Elias Hazrati, a former member of the Iranian Parliament, as the new Chairman of the Government’s Information Council.