TEHRAN- The introduction ceremony for Seyyed Ehsan Khandouzi as the new head of the Economic Review Working Group of the Review Department of the Office of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, and the farewell for Ali Aqa-Mohammadi, was held on Tuesday.

According to IRNA, citing the Public Relations Department of the Office of the Leader, Ehsan Khandouzi is a faculty member at Allameh Tabataba’i University and served as Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance in the government of the martyred President Raisi.

At the ceremony, Ali Aqa-Mohammadi’s 36 years of service were thanked and appreciated.

Khandouzi had been also a former representative of the people of Tehran in the parliament.

In a report published by Fars News Agency, he emphasized the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, and said: Iran should not view this strait merely from the perspective of economic revenues; rather, by involving its strategic partners, it can turn Hormuz into a lever for strengthening regional power and redefining the country’s economic, political, and geopolitical relations.

As reported by the Fars News Agency’s Economic Desk; Seyyed Ehsan Khandouzi, economy minister of the 13th government, on the Ecofa program, emphasizing the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, said: The issue of the Strait of Hormuz should not be measured merely by calculating its economic and financial returns, because managing this strait can be one of the important components in redefining Iran’s economic, sanctions-related, political, and geopolitical relations with the countries of the region.

He added: Instead of considering the management of the Strait of Hormuz merely an economic issue, Iran can involve its strategic partners in this matter and give them a share in Iran’s new regional power.

Khandouzi continued: In such conditions, if the United States wants to build consensus in the UN Security Council or other international institutions for action against Iran, countries such as China and Russia and some others can stand against the formation of the US-desired order in West Asia and support the presence of a powerful Iran in the region.

Referring to the extensive focus of the US president on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, he stated: If the Strait of Hormuz were not an important and future-making component, we would not be witnessing this volume of remarks and positions by the US president about it.

Khandouzi emphasized: The repetition of threats about reopening the strait and efforts to bring various countries along with this issue show that Hormuz is not merely a maritime passage; rather, it has become a matter of prestige and strategy.

Khandouzi emphasized: The Strait of Hormuz can become one of the future-making points for Iran, and the way it is managed, along with using the capacity of strategic partners, can affect the country’s regional position and its economic and geopolitical relations.

MA