Pezeshkian criticized by media and activists over aide appointments

Criticism of President Massoud Pezeshkian has started even before he introduces his cabinet to the Iranian parliament which is likely to take place next week.

The Iranian media and social media users have particularly accused the President of giving top jobs to two politicians, Hamid Pourmohamadi as head of the Planning and Budget Organization, and Shahram Dabiri as Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs.

According to Iranian media, Pourmohamadi was implicated in a financial corruption case as top suspect in 2011 and was jailed for some time for that. According to the official news agency IRNA, Dabiri was also implicated in a financial corruption case at the Tabriz Municipality and was arrested in 2020 by the IRGC Intelligence Organization. However, he was cleared of the charges later.

Pourmohamadi's supporters in the centrist daily Sazandegi have characterized him as an economic technocrat who has served Iran's previous governments.

Meanwhile, Tehran Municipality's daily newspaper Hamshari has said that Iranians are not happy about the appointments by Pezeshkian. According to Hamshahri, contrary to promises made by the President and his aides, most of those he has so far appointed are aging politicians.

The daily has also charged that Pezeshkian has selected his aides and ministers, who have not been officially named yet, from among his friends and politically likeminded groups. The daily claimed that the public's attitude toward the new appointees is negative.

According to Rouydad24website, Shahram Dabiri is one of several medical doctors Pezeshkian has appointed to executive positions. Dabiri is the owner of a sports club in Tabriz and has held positions at the city's local council and university and is a shareholder of a major hospital in Tabriz. He has studied in Iran, Japan and Russia in the area of nuclear medicine. As a young man, he fought in the war against Iraq in the 1980s alongside Pezeshkian.

Meanwhile, quoting reformist daily Shargh, the website has characterized Pourmohammadi as the shadow governor of Iran's Cenral Bank, and pointed out that he has worked with the governments of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President Hassan Rouhani. Iranian media have said that he opposes the idea of merger of Iran's numerous government banks. He was once dismissed from the Iranian Central bank in 2008 for the same reason. He was jailed in 2011 for involvement in a financial corruption case but was released on bail after one month.

Accusations on social media sometimes go beyond charges of financial corruption. Some social media activists have charged that while Pezeshkian won the election by promising to improve relations with the West, on his first day in office he lashed out at the United States and strongly supported Hamas and similar groups in the Middle East. Another activist said that Pezeshkian has a limited mental capacity and keeps repeating himself.

Iranian journalist Farborz Kalantari wrote that Dabiri and his children run a commercial network in medicine and sports. Another journalist, Ali Gholhaki pointed out that Pezeshkian's political rivals have managed to block his choice for the post of Culture Minister and impose a hardline figure on the cabinet.

Meanwhile, several social media users posted a video of clashes at the Tabriz University in 2021 and accused Dabiri of instigating violence among the supporters of various candidates in the city's local Council election.

His selection of Mohamad Ja'far Ghaempanah as Vice President for Executive Affairs has faced criticism due to his two-decade absence from executive roles. However, many have praised Ghaempanah's courage for siding with protesters during the 2022 nationwide uprising.