Iran’s parliament capped on Sunday a week of intensive debate on President Hassan Rouhani’s 17 nominees for ministerial posts, approving all except the one for energy minister.

Rouhani handed his list of ministerial nominees to parliament on August 5, three days after he was sworn in. He delayed introducing a nominee to run the Science Ministry, naming a caretaker.

Nearly 24 million of 56 eligible voters cast their ballots for Rouhani, a moderate sexagenarian cleric, for a second four-year tenure in the May 19 election.

The parliament began debating whether to approve Rouhani’s proposed ministers on Tuesday. Rouhani said on the same day he was hoping all the picks will be granted votes of confidence.

The strongest vote of confidence, 261-10, was granted to the nominee for defense minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, with health, intelligence, and interior picks standing next respectively. The confidence vote was cast by  288 lawmakers in the 290-seat parliament

Plans for more accurate and destructive missiles appeared atop a priority list Hatami took to the parliament hearing on Thursday.

“The missile program is definitely one of the most important priorities of the Defense Ministry in the upcoming four years,” Hatami told lawmakers.

Also, the lawmakers voted to keep Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, 236-26, and Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, 230-35, in their posts.  / Tehran times /