Iranian oil minister Mohsen Paknejad resigns
Resignation comes as a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports is disrupting fuel exports and domestic supply.
Iran's presidential office announced that Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, a shift that comes as the United States is enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports that is preventing the country from exporting fuel.
"Following the acceptance of Mohsen Paknejad's resignation, Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the National Iranian Oil Company, was appointed acting oil minister by presidential decree," the presidential office said in a statement broadcast on Iranian state television.
Background and immediate causes
Paknejad had submitted a resignation "for personal reasons" some time earlier, but that initial request was rejected by the presidential administration, an official said. The resignation was ultimately accepted after what the statement described as "his renewed insistence."
The announcement arrives amid heightened tensions at sea: U.S. measures restricting access to Iranian ports have complicated Tehran's ability to ship fuel abroad. Domestic effects are visible as well — since the start of the war, long lines regularly form at gas stations across Iran.
Hamid Bovard, named in the presidential statement as the National Iranian Oil Company's chief executive, will lead the oil ministry in an acting capacity while the government considers a permanent replacement.
Officials did not give further details about a timeline for appointing a full-time minister or how the ministry will respond to export obstacles created by the naval blockade.
Photo: press material from the event
