That gave Salehi 60.5 percent support in the Majlis, exactly the same margin by which his predecessor, Manouchehr Mottaki, was approved in August 2009. In that vote on all 21 cabinet nominees, 12 received a larger margin of support and eight received a lesser margin than Salehi received Sunday.
Salehi had been widely expected to get a much greater margin of support. The small margin may reflect disenchantment with President Ahmadi-nejad, more than with Salehi.
It was no surprise last week when President Ahmadi-nejad announced that he had nominated Salehi to be foreign minister.
Salehi has been acting foreign minister since Mottaki was summarily fired in December and was widely expected to get the nod for the full-time post.
Salehi is currently the chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, a post the nuclear physicist took over last summer.
Salehi drew some criticism as a nuclear physicist with a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology but little experience in foreign policy. Majlis Deputy Mostafa Kavakebian opposed the nomination, saying, “There is nothing but sloganeering in Salehi’s program.… He has no expertise in foreign policy.”
One question is what role Salehi will have in dealing with the West over Iran’s nuclear program. Under both Presidents Khatami and Ahmadi-nejad, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council has handled nuclear negotiations and the foreign minister has been an outsider. That could now change.
Another question is who will be named to take over from Salehi at the Atomic Energy Organization.
Salehi, 61, was born in Karbala, Iraq, and speaks fluent English and Arabic.
