Iran’s deputy environment chief resigns amid mounting pressure from hard-liners
The sudden resignation of the young deputy head of Iran's Department of Environment, who had moved back to Iran from the UK to take the position, has stirred controversy.
The young deputy head of Iran's Department of Environment, Kaveh Madani, has decided to resign and leave the country following increasing pressure from hard-liners.
Before moving back to Iran, Madani — who has been described by Iranian media as a “genius” — was an environmental management lecturer at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. He was named the deputy for international affairs, innovation and sociocultural engagement of the Department of Environment on Sept. 17, 2017. The news of his eventual resignation was tweeted by a Reformist parliament member on April 16.
Many Reformists at the time of his appointment welcomed it as a new approach for attracting Iranian elites who live abroad, but hard-liners sought to pressure Madani from day one.
Hard-line media recently released pictures of Madani in which he is seen dancing with a woman, with reports claiming that the dancing took place in a building belonging to the Iranian government in Malaysia. Meanwhile, Reformist media defended him, arguing that the picture was from before Madani’s appointment.
