Iran parliament Oks all but 1 of Rouhani Cabinet picks
(WorldNews Iran)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian lawmakers on Sunday approved 16 Cabinet members nominated by recently re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, including the first defense minister unaffiliated with the elite, hard-line Revolutionary Guard in 25 years. Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said 16 of 17 proposed ministers were approved, among them Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who negotiated the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. He received 236 votes. Oil Minister Began Zanganeh received 230 votes out of 288 members of parliament who voted. The chamber has 290 seats. The most votes went to Gen. Amir Hatami for Defense Minister, with 261. His appointment marks first time Iran has...