TEHRAN — Hassan Rouhani was sworn in as Iran’s
president during a ceremony in Parliament on
Sunday, after which he presented a new cabinet
dominated by technocrats who had previously
served under a moderate former president, Ali
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The cabinet must still be confirmed by Parliament.
“My government will be one of foresight and hope,”
Mr. Rouhani said in a speech after his swearing-in
ceremony, adding that his election showed that the
Iranian people want “to live free,” and “are longing
for change and progress, they want relief from
poverty and discrimination.”
He faces a mountain of problems, including rampant
inflation, diminishing revenues and foreign reserves,
possible food shortages and new United States
sanctions over the country’s nuclear program.
By choosing to stock his cabinet with old hands from
the Rafsanjani years, Mr. Rouhani appeared to be
looking to a more moderate past to solve current
problems and plan for the future, analysts said. And
he showed that the former president would wield
considerable influence in the new government.
“Most key ministers have served under Hashemi-
Rafsanjani,” said Nader Karimi Joni, a political
analyst who has been critical of Iran’s leaders. “This
shows his clear involvement.”
Mr. Rafsanjani, 78, wanted to run for a new term as
president this year, but he was barred by the
country’s Guardian Council, which said he was too
old.
During the ceremony on Sunday, he sat smiling next
to the incoming president.
Among the Rafsanjani protégés is the proposed
minister of oil, Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, who is
widely regarded as the modernizer of Iran’s oil
industry, having invited in Western companies to
help carry out the work. The incoming minister of
housing, Abbas Akhondi, held the same position
during Mr. Rafsanjani’s tenure, from 1989 to 1997.
The proposed head of the influential Ministry of
Industries and Mines, Mohammad Reza
Nematzadeh, is a former member of the
Revolutionary Guards who is now strictly opposed to
involvement by that organization in the economy.
Mr. Rouhani’s choice for foreign minister, Javad
Zarif, raised the most eyebrows. Mr. Zarif, 53, has
lived half his life in the United States, is a fluent
English speaker and served from 2002 to 2007 as
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations. He was
also part of Mr. Rouhani’s nuclear negotiating team,
which in 2003 struck a deal with European nations
to temporarily suspend uranium enrichment.
“These appointments mean Mr. Rouhani’s cabinet is
technocrat-dominated and geared towards changing
domestic and international affairs, like what we saw
during Mr. Rafsanjani’s time,” Mr. Joni said.
Hinting that he was open to talks with the West, Mr.
Rouhani emphasized that sanctions and even war
would not change the minds of Iran’s leaders
regarding the nuclear program.
“To have interactions with Iran, there should be
talks based on an equal position, building mutual
trust and respect, and reducing enmity,” Mr.
Rouhani said. Speaking to the West, he added, “I
hereby say this explicitly, that if you expect a
suitable response, you should talk to Iran with
respect, not the language of sanctions.” His words
prompted loud applause from members of
Parliament and other officials.
Officials close to the new president are saying that
they want to see a first-step gesture from the United
States, noting that Mr. Rouhani’s landslide victory
has given him a broad mandate to negotiate with
the West.
The White House released a statement on Sunday
hailing the arrival of Mr. Rouhani, but it made no
mention of concessions.
“The inauguration of President Rouhani presents an
opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the
international community’s deep concerns over Iran’s
nuclear program,” the statement read. “Should this
new government choose to engage substantively
and seriously to meet its international obligations
and find a peaceful solution to this issue, it will find
a willing partner in the United States.”