Finally, after a week of speculation, three members of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's Cabinet were replaced Oct. 19. Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati, Education Minister Ali Asghar Fani and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mahmoud Goudarzi all resigned on the same day. 

Though all three were said to have stepped down voluntarily, various reports indicate that Rouhani wasn’t content with them, an idea that was affirmed by a government official. Mohammad-Bagher Nobakhat, the spokesman for Rouhani’s administration, appeared on state TV on Oct. 19 to explain the reason behind the Cabinet reshuffle. Nobakht said, “The change is aimed at improvement. … The president’s goal is to fulfill expectations as best as possible.”

Elaborating on Jannati's resignation, the spokesman added, “When Mr. Rouhani concluded that by changing the minister, the entire cultural field's performance would be better, he made the call.” Nobakht then explained the change of education minister, saying, “Despite Mr. Fani’s abilities, it was decided that a more systematized person should take over."

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This article was written by Rohollah Faghihi for Al-Monitor on Oct. 20, 2016. Rohollah Faghihi is a journalist who has worked for various Iranian media outlets.