Iran’s former Deputy President for Parliamentary Affairs Sahram Dabiri is seen in this undated file photo.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has fired his deputy for parliamentary affairs after it became clear that he was on an expensive holiday trip to Antarctica.
Pezeshkian addressed Shahram Dabiri in a letter on Saturday saying that the government was unable to continue using his services because of its manifesto of respecting honesty and justice and its commitment to improve people’s economic situation.
The president said he had made the dismissal after receiving confirmation about reports suggesting that Dabiri had been on a self-funded leisure trip to Antarctica during the two-week Nowruz holidays, which mark the start of the New Persian Year.
“... expensive leisure trips by officials, even if paid from their personal resources, are neither defensible nor justifiable at a time there is still too much economic pressure on people in the country,” said Pezeshkian in his letter.
Dabiri has been an old friend of Pezeshkian and was one of his first appointments since the president came to office in mid-summer.
The 64-year-old is reported to have considerable personal wealth with sources close to the government saying he had made four foreign trips at his own expense since assuming the administrative position in August.
The dismissal came after media sources close to the government criticized the lack of action in dealing with issues that might tarnish the image of Pezeshkian’s administration.
They said trips like the one Dabiri has taken are inconsistent with the simple lifestyle of Pezeshkian and other government officials and contradict the president’s promises of fixing the country’s economic woes.