Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard appointed as acting minister, according to Tasnim news agency, citing a presidential official.
Deputy Head of the Presidential Office’s Communications Department Mehdi Tabatabaei said President Masoud Pezeshkian had accepted Paknejad’s resignation.
He added that Bovard would oversee the ministry’s affairs in the interim.
No reason was given for Paknejad’s resignation, which comes as Iran faces unprecedented US sanctions targeting its oil sector.
Bovard previously served as head of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and spent much of his career working in oilfield operations.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Saturday that Iran no longer had oil shipments at sea and would not receive any oil revenue this week.
On August 25, the US Treasury Department announced the launch of “Operation Economic Outcast”, a broad campaign aimed at isolating Iran from the global financial system.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to respond with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.
The US military later imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Efforts to end the conflict have continued since a framework agreement was reached in June, aimed at paving the way for a final peace deal covering shipping through the strategic waterway and Iran’s nuclear programme.
