Internal sources indicate that Mostafa Salari's name was also among the serious candidates for the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare in 2024, and then he returned to the management of the Social Security Organization by Ahmad Meidari's decree for the second time. However, regarding the re-emergence of his name for Meidari's succession in July 2026, no official announcement has been published by the government, and reports remain at the level of media speculation. Also, claims related to hosting Hassan Rouhani, Bushehr City Center, the specific "Patcom" contract, and Salari's personal corruption have not been sufficiently confirmed by independent and credible documents; therefore, they have not been included as definitive facts in the report.
Mostafa Salari on the Path to the Ministry of Welfare; From Family Contract Controversies to Social Security Crisis
While political pressures on Ahmad Meidari, the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, have increased, Mostafa Salari, CEO of the Social Security Organization, has once again been mentioned as a potential candidate to succeed him; a manager whose track record from governorship in Bushehr and Gilan to managing one of Iran's largest insurance funds has always been accompanied by political support on one hand and economic and managerial criticisms on the other.
Salari was also one of the serious candidates for the Ministry of Welfare in 2024. Some media at that time reported his name being in the final list of this ministry alongside Ahmad Meidari and Mohammad Kabiri. Ultimately, Meidari was introduced to the parliament, and a few months later, Salari was appointed by him for the second time as CEO of the Social Security Organization. Now, unofficial reports suggest that in the event of Meidari's impeachment or removal, Salari might once again be considered for a ministry that covers the Social Security Organization, Shasta, and a collection of large industrial and financial holdings.
The name of Mohammad Shariatmadari, former Minister of Welfare and CEO of the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Holding Company, has also been mentioned in some speculations. However, by the time of this report's preparation, Masoud Pezeshkian's government has not released any official list for Meidari's potential succession, and news about replacement options is mainly based on political and media hearsay.
From 2013 to 2017, Mostafa Salari was the governor of Bushehr and then Gilan. Critics from his time as governor of Bushehr raised questions about the concentration of power in a limited circle of local managers, family relations, and the close connections of his associates with oil, gas, and petrochemical projects. The most significant issue later reflected in the media was contracts of a company owned or associated with Salari's family members with a petrochemical complex and his role in granting substantial loans to his niece in the Bushehr City Center construction case.
In 2020, several domestic media claimed that a company in which Salari's two brothers were on the board of directors had signed contracts worth approximately 317 billion and 600 million tomans with the Padjam Petrochemical Company in just one instance. These reports raised questions about potential conflicts of interest and the use of political influence.
Salari's return to the Social Security Organization was also met with criticism. Opponents say that before his first appointment in 2019, he had no direct experience in managing pension funds, social insurance, or extensive investment companies.
In the new term, delays in paying claims to medical centers, issues with retirees' supplementary insurance, dissatisfaction among pensioners, and the financial situation of Shasta have become focal points of criticism. A critical report in 2025 accused the Social Security management of failing to secure resources for retirees' supplementary insurance.
Salari himself has acknowledged that the Social Security Organization in 2025 did not go through a single month without challenges. This organization now provides services to about 47 million primary and dependent insured individuals and faces heavy monthly expenses, accumulated government debt, and an increasing number of pensioners. The CEO of the organization attributes the main source of problems to factors outside the social security structure, arising from economic conditions, political developments, and unpaid government debts.
However, critics ask how a manager who has not yet been able to sustainably resolve the social security crises, the situation of retirees, and the disarray of subsidiary companies, and whose appointments and dismissals in subsidiary companies have always been problematic, can manage a ministry with hundreds of companies and tens of millions of stakeholders.
If Salari's name becomes serious for the Ministry of Welfare, the government and parliament will be compelled to transparently review not only his plans but also the contracts of relatives, potential conflicts of interest, managerial appointments, and his actual performance in social security. Transferring a manager from the head of a crisis-ridden organization to a ministerial seat without addressing these ambiguities may lead to the reproduction of the same political and economic networks on a larger scale rather than indicating reform.
