Who Is Fatemeh Mohajerani? Iran's First Female Govt Spokesperson

In a first, Iran has appointed a woman as a government spokesperson. At the suggestion of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, Fatemeh Mohajerani was appointed as the first female government spokesperson.

Mohajerani, aged 54, is a Doctor of Business Administration from Edinburgh and had successfully served as the head of the Technical and Vocational Training University of Shariati (for women) in the 11th government.

She was named the head of the Center for Brilliant Talents by then-Education Minister Seyyed Mohammad Bat'hai in 2017 and has held other positions in the Education Ministry too. This is the latest appointment of a woman to such a senior position. President Pezeshkian had, last week, appointed Shina Ansari as Iran's Deputy President and Head of the Department of Environment.

Mohajerani's historical struggle speaks louder 

Ansari, whose LinkedIn profile describes her as an experienced environmental specialist with a demonstrated and well-versed historical background of working in environmental services along with expertise in skilled in waste, RCRA, sustainable development, and environmental compliance, replaces Ali Salajegheh as head of the Department of Environment.

With PhD in Environmental Management from the Science & Research University, she was presently the Advisor at the Air Quality Control Centre at Tehran Municipality and previously had been Head of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Municipality and General Director of the Bureau of Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Monitoring in the Department of Environment.

Post-1979 Islamic Revolution, Pezeshkian's cabinet also had Iran's second woman minister with Farzaneh Sadeq Malvajard being approved as the Roads and Urban Development Minister.

As the former Deputy Minister of Urban Planning and Architecture from January 2019 to July 2023, she got 230 out of 285-odd lawmakers present and voting despite some opposition when her name was read out in Parliament during the submission of the ministerial choices earlier this month.

Sadeq, who is 48 years old follows Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi who was the Health and Medical Education Minister in populist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second government (2009-13).