Photo: Information portal of the President of Iran

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned from his post today.

Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabaei, Deputy for Communications and Information of the Presidential Office, announced the decision on X.

The announcement notes that President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed Hamid Bovard as acting (caretaker) Minister of Petroleum.

Tabatabaei stated that Pezeshkian accepted Paknejad’s resignation and issued a decree naming Bovard as acting head of the ministry.

According to later statements by the same official, Paknejad had previously requested to step down for personal reasons.

Bovard, who has been serving as Deputy Oil Minister and Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), takes over the ministry on an interim basis under Article 135 of the Iranian Constitution.

Paknejad had held the post since August 2024, when he received parliamentary approval with 222 votes.