In recent days, the crisis between the government and the oil minister has reached its peak. In an unusual move, a group of members of the Strategic Council for Selecting the Oil Minister, in a letter to Pezeshkian, the head of the government, have announced that they regret nominating Paknejad as the oil minister and are calling for his dismissal.
Letter from the Strategic Council Members
In the letter from the Strategic Council members to Pezeshkian, it is stated: "Unfortunately, we are witnessing issues that are not befitting of a minister. Pursuing personal desires, widespread removal of managers and experts aligned with the government, creating a rift within the ministry, and distancing from the discourse of consensus are only part of this bitter reality."
They have also stated that on numerous occasions, the explicit orders of the head of the government have not been complied with, and this behavior has created a clear gap with the spirit governing the consensus government. There is serious concern that the helm of the oil industry, instead of moving in line with the policies of the elected government, is practically influenced by the demands of a minority that never aligned with the discourse of consensus from the beginning.
Conflict Over the CEO Position of the Persian Gulf Holding
This letter was published only hours after the resignation of several members of the board of directors of the Oil Pension Fund in protest against the non-dismissal of Shariatmadari. This indicates a severe conflict over the CEO position of the Persian Gulf Holding. On one side, Paknejad insists on dismissing Shariatmadari, while on the other side, Pezeshkian insists on retaining him. These disagreements have led to an unprecedented rift between the head of the government and one of his cabinet members, which instead of formal action, is being pursued through increased media pressure on public opinion.
Roots of the Dispute
The Oil Strategic Council was part of the managers close to Pezeshkian and his political faction, which had the unusual task of identifying and nominating ministers for each ministry. The Oil Strategic Council, following this pattern, insisted on choosing Paknejad from among various individuals, and it seems the reason for disavowing him in less than two years is the escalation of disputes over the arrangement of subordinate managers in the Ministry of Oil.
Power Struggle and Corruption
The power struggle among various corruption circles, which in the midst of managing the energy sector, one of the most important parts of the country's economy, has turned it into a playground for disputes and mutual demands, has taken the form of two opposing fronts. One side, in the name of supporting Paknejad, is engaging in media propaganda, while the other side, under the pretext of defending presidential authority, is advancing the interests of Shariatmadari and his connected circle.
The final part of the letter from the council members, in which they call for a change of minister to rectify the previous wrong choice, could be an opportunity for Paknejad's opponents to use it as a pretext for his dismissal or to pressure the oil minister to resign.
Names of the Council Members
An odd reminder of the names of this council during its activity is that some of the current managers of the Ministry of Oil are seen in it. Mansour Moazzami, Ali Kardor, Mahmoud Aminnejad, Marzieh Shahdaei, Gholamhossein Nozari, Ali Ahmadnia, Kasra Nouri, Meysam Sharifinia, Abdolhossein Bayat, Mahmoud Astan, Hamid Board, Reza Dehghan, Ahmad Mahdavi Abhari, and Ali Bakhtiar were the main members of the Oil Strategic Council, and the emphasis in the letter on "some of the members" raises the suspicion that some of these names did not accompany the signing of this letter.
It seems that in the coming days, the rift created within the Ministry of Oil and its affiliated companies and holdings will intensify, and the government will have no choice but to yield to the demands of one of the two groups involved in this confrontation.
