Iran’s new president challenged the United States and elected a Treasury Department-sanctioned official as first vice president.

Iran’s new ultra-conservative president, Ebrahim Raisi, on Sunday appointed a figure subject to US Treasury sanctions since January as his first vice president, as reported on the Presidency website.

Mohamed mokhber, who has long been singled out by local media as the candidate with the most chances of being chosen for the post, until today led the powerful and parapublic Foundation of the Order of Iman (Setad), also sanctioned by Washington.

Mokhber had been appointed to this post by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in 2007, after a series of official posts in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

The foundation was created in the late 1980s to manage property confiscated after the 1979 Islamic revolution and has since become a major state economic conglomerate with actions in various sectors, including health.

Setad is responsible, through its Barekat Foundation, for development of Iran’s first coronavirus vaccine, which in June received emergency clearance in the Middle Eastern country most affected by the pandemic.

The two Fundación Setad and Mokhber have been on the US Treasury blacklist since January. Washington said that Setad “has a stake in almost all sectors of the Iranian economy, including energy, telecommunications and financial services ”.

Winner on June 18 in a presidential election marked by a record abstention, the ultra-conservative Raisi, succeeded the moderate Hassan Rohani.

Thusday, Raisi was sworn in before parliament, to whom he must present a list of ministers within two weeks.

Former head of the judiciary, Raisi has been criticized by the West for his human rights record and sanctioned by the United States since 2019.

Raisi also chose Gholamhossein Esmaili, the spokesperson for the judiciary during his term of office, like your chief of staff.

A former prosecutor, Esmaili is under European Union sanctions.

He was first blacklisted in 2011 as a head of the Iranian prison organization for “serious human rights violations”.

The Raisi’s presidency must consolidate power in conservative hands after his victory in the legislative elections of 2020, marked by the disqualification of thousands of reformist or moderate candidates.

Sunday also, the ultra-conservative MP and presidential candidate of 2021 He raised Zakani he was elected mayor of tehran, reported the state news agency IRNA.

Won the majority of votes from the Conservative-dominated city council, but cannot take office before having resigned from parliament.

Arrive at Pirouz Hanachi, a seasoned civil servant with experience in urban development considered close to the reformist field.

Zakani served in parliament from 2004 to 2016 and won a seat again last year.

Nuclear medicine doctor, 55 years old, he abandoned the June presidential race in favor of Raisi.

(With information from AFP)

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