Iran to Appoint Three Female Ambassadors

The procedure of their appointments is reportedly at final administrative stages and would soon be announced publicly.

“One of the prospective ambassadors is Parvin Farshchi. She is the Deputy Head of Marine Environment Division at Iran’s Environment Department and a well-known expert in this field,” a Farsi report by Shargh newspaper said.

The report added another candidate is Ms. Namdari. As a Sunni Muslim, she is a teacher and reportedly the wife of an Iranian lawmaker.

New Zealand and Finland have been announced as the destination countries for these two candidates. It seems Ms. Farshchi is to be appointed as Iran’s ambassador to Finland.

“President Hassan Rouhani is set to sign the decrees of the three female ambassadors in the near future,” an informed source at the Presidential Office said.

According to Shargh, the third female ambassador will be appointed for an Asian country.

The three women will be appointed as replacements for the ambassadors whose missions have already come to an end.

Meanwhile, the mere introduction of a candidate by the Foreign Ministry does not necessarily mean they have been approved as ambassador. Regardless of being approved by the security and intelligence officials as well as the president, the candidates should also get the approval of the destination country. Only then, their credentials would be signed as new ambassadors.

Iranian Foreign Ministry has already over 300 female staff but they are mostly employed at administrative, service and consulate sections. Reports say at the best estimation, only 20 females have political posts.

Marziyeh Afkham, Iran’s current ambassador to Malaysia, was the first female foreign ministry spokesman and the first and only woman ambassador in the history of the Islamic Republic.