KABUL: Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, Iranian media reported, and President Masoud Pezeshkian has accepted his resignation.
Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabaei, deputy for communications at the Iranian president’s office, said Paknejad had previously submitted his resignation for personal reasons, but it had not been accepted at the time. He said the resignation was accepted on Sunday.
Following the resignation, Pezeshkian appointed Hamid Bovard as acting head of Iran’s Oil Ministry, who previously served as managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company.
The change comes as Iran’s oil production and exports have declined amid the war in the Middle East and U.S. sanctions.
U.S. officials have also claimed that a naval blockade has reduced Iran’s oil revenues to zero.