The appointment of President Hassan Rouhani's son-in-law as head of Iran's geological survey has renewed accusations of nepotism and led on Sunday to the resignation of a senior official, according to media outlets.
In the past few days, a wave of criticism took over social media networks aimed at senior Iranian officials after discovering the appointment of Kambiz Mehdizadeh, Rouhani’s son-in-law, as deputy minister of industry and head of geological survey.
Mehdizadeh, 33, reportedly married Rouhani's daughter in a low-key wedding this August, according to Agence-France Presse (AFP).
His appointment also triggered the resignation of the head of the mining section in the industries ministry, Jafar Sargheyni, who criticized "unprofessional appointments" without directly naming Mehdizadeh, Tasnim news agency reported.
Mehdizadeh is a PhD student in petroleum engineering, and has also served as an adviser to Iran's Oil Ministry, member of the taekwondo federation and national youth organization, Tasnim said.
Iranians on social media renewed criticism of nepotism that had spread last year with the hashtag "#good-genes", a reference to the son of a prominent reformist politician who attributed his business success to inheriting "good genes" from his parents.
"I had no idea even sons-in-law could inherit #good-genes!" wrote one Twitter user on Sunday in reference to Mehdizadeh's appointment.
Earlier in the summer, another online campaign called on senior officials to come clean about the privileges their children enjoy, particularly those studying in the United States and other Western countries.
The campaign titled: "#Where-is-your-kid" pressured several government figures to respond, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said his children had returned to Iran after studying abroad.
This is not the first time Rouhani is accused of nepotism and corruption.
Rouhani's brother, Hossein Fereydoun, served as his assistant and a member of his team before he was detained for corruption by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence service and court orders.
The nephew of the Iranian president heads the People's Relations Department at his office and is the adviser to his chief of staff.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
