Ethnicity, religion to be disregarded in appointments: Pezeshkian
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he will try to choose competent and accomplished individuals to serve the country irrespective of their ethnicity, race, religion and faction affiliations.
Pezeshkian referred to the appointment of a politician from the country’s Sunni community as a member of the government for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying he has placed a premium on unity and cohesion from the beginning of his tenure.
He made the remarks in a Tuesday meeting with the country’s Sunni scholars and clerics on the occasion of the Unity Week.
The Iranian president named Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh from the Sunni minority as his vice president for rural development and disadvantaged areas after taking office in August.
Hosseinzadeh, 44, has since 2012 represented the northwestern cities of Naghadeh and Oshnavieh in parliament.
Sunni Muslims account for around 10 percent of Iran’s population, where the vast majority are Shias.
During the Tuesday meeting, Pezeshkian also pointed to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians in nearly one year.
He said differences between Muslims have caused the Israeli regime to do whatever it wants in the region and kill women, children, young and old. If Muslims are united, the Israel regime cannot continue its crimes.
Pezeshkian won presidential vote on July 5 against former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. He replaced Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.