Paknejad Left
According to published reports, the resignation of Mohsen Paknejad, the Minister of Oil, cannot simply be considered a routine managerial change. Iran’s state media confirmed his resignation today, October 4, 2026, and appointed Hamid Board, the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company, as the acting Minister of Oil. Although an official reason for the resignation has not been announced, in recent weeks, the case of oil sales and the performance of trustees had become one of the most serious points of pressure against the management of the Ministry of Oil. The main question in this case was how much of the money from the sold oil had actually returned to the country.
Within this context, investigative reports by Saeed Aganji, the editor-in-chief of Iran Gate News Agency, particularly about the trustees involved in the oil sales cycle during Paknejad’s tenure, created significant media pressure. Iran Gate wrote about the transfer of tens of millions of barrels of oil to several specific traders and trustees, the existence of significant debts by some intermediaries, and ambiguities in the collection of oil revenues. Another report revealed the phenomenon of ’empty claims’ and the gap between the confirmation of currency receipt and the actual receipt of money. In one report, even the issue of $800 million was raised, which, according to the published account, was a matter of dispute. Nevertheless, what is important today is the result of a series of revelations and increased pressure from public opinion and oversight bodies. A case that could initially have been considered merely a managerial or administrative dispute turned into an issue concerning the method of oil sales, the selection of intermediaries, the return of currency, and the responsibility of senior managers of the Ministry of Oil. In its latest reports, Iran Gate explicitly raised the question of Paknejad’s managerial responsibility, and now, a few days after the intensification of these pressures, the resignation of the Minister of Oil has occurred. Therefore, it can be said that media reporting and follow-up were effective in turning the trustees’ case into a public demand, and Paknejad ultimately left.
