Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi

Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi (Persian: محمدجواد آذری جهرمی‎) is an Iranian politician and former intelligence officer[3] who is currently serving as the Minister of Information and Communications Technology in the administration of President Hassan Rouhani. He gained vote of confidence from the parliament on 20 August 2017, with 152 yeas, 120 nays, 7 abstentions and 9 invalid votes.[4]

Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi
Minister of Information and Communications Technology
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 August 2017
President	Hassan Rouhani
Preceded by	Mahmoud Vaezi
Personal details
Born	(1982-09-16) 16 September 1982[1] Jahrom, Fars Province, Iran[1]
Nationality	Iranian
Children	3
Alma mater	Power and Water University of Technology[2]
Signature

He is currently the youngest member of the cabinet of Iran, as well as the first Iranian minister born after the Iranian Revolution.[5]

Career

Azari Jahromi worked at the Ministry of Intelligence from 2002 to 2009,[2] where he for some time held managerial positions and was involved in crackdown of 2009 election protests.[3] From 2009 to 2014, he served as general manager of the communications systems security department at the Communication Regulatory Authority.[5] He then became ex-officio vice minister of information and communications technology, in his capacity as the chairman of Telecommunications Infrastructure Company.[5] Jahrami was also a non-executive member of the board of directors at RighTel between 2014 and 2016.[5]

U.S. sanctions

In November 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Azari "for his role in the Iranian regime’s widescale internet censorship," freezing any of his U.S. assets and banning U.S. persons from doing business with him.[6]

U.S. Treasury Department stated that Azari Jahrmi is a former intelligence officer whose job has been arrest and imprisonment of opposition activists.[7]

References

1. "Iran-related Designation", United States Department of the Treasury, 22 November 2019, retrieved 22 November 2019
2. "Hassan Rouhani's cabinet is complete. Here's the full list", Tehran Times, 8 August 2017, retrieved 8 August 2017
3. Barlow, Rebecca; Akbarzadeh, Shahram (2018), Human Rights and Agents of Change in Iran: Towards a Theory of Change, Springer, p. 43, ISBN 9811088241
4. "Almost All Ministers Proposed by Rouhani Receive Vote of Confidence", Iran Front Page, 20 August 2017, retrieved 20 August 2017
5. "Proposed ICT Minister Promises More, Better Internet", Financial Tribune, 16 August 2017, retrieved 20 August 2017
6. "Treasury Designates Iran's Minister of Information and Communications Technology in View of the Regime's Repressive Internet Censorship | U.S. Department of the Treasury". home.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
7. U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran's information minister

Government offices
Preceded by Mahmoud Vaezi	Minister of Information and Communications Technology 20 August 2017–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Mahmoud Khosravi	Vice Minister and CEO of Telecommunication Infrastructure Company 11 May 2016–20 August 2017	Succeeded by Farhad Maarefi (acting)