TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iranian lawmakers on Sunday approved 16 Cabinet members nominated by recently re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, but the pick for the energy portfolio who had already served in the post under a reformist administration failed to garner enough votes.  
Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said 16 of 17 proposed ministers were approved, including Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif, who negotiated the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh was also approved.
The most votes went to Gen. Amir Hatami for Defense Minister, with 261 out of 288 who voted. He told parliament that he is committed to advancing Iran's ballistic missile program, which has drawn U.S. sanctions.
In July, Iran launched a rocket capable of carrying a satellite, a move that provoked Western condemnation, including from France, Britain and the U.S. All three countries were among the world powers that reached the nuclear deal with Iran.
Rouhani urged Hatami to improve ties between the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) while using modern technology for improving the country's arsenal.
The defense minister is tasked with producing weapons for both the army and the IRGC, which is in charge of testing and launching Iran's ballistic missiles.
Rouhani told members of parliament that the foreign minister's primary goals should be to stand by the nuclear deal and attract foreign investment and technology. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the deal but has yet to pull out of it.
In 2015, the United States, six other world powers and Iran finalized a pact that outlined what Tehran had to do to pull back its nuclear program in return for the West ending many of the financial, trade and oil sanctions.
"No country has succeeded resorting to isolation," Zarif, the foreign minister, said. "We both want foreign investment and technology."
Rouhani said the country needs some $200 billion in foreign investment in its oil and gas sector, its main source of foreign revenue. The country's crude export income reached more than $21 billion in 2016, up from some $12 billion before the nuclear deal.
Alireza Avaee was approved as justice minister. In 2016, Rouhani appointed him the president's special inspector.
Rouhani's nominee for energy minister, Habibolalh Bitaraf, was rejected. During a review, members of parliament criticized him for lacking a plan to fight the longstanding drought in the country, where many towns and cities suffer from water shortages.
Also approved was Muhammad Javad Azari Jahromi, 36, as minister of telecommunications. Jahromi received the least votes of any of the other approved ministers, after some lawmakers cited his lack of experience.
Rouhani on Sunday defended Jahromi, saying he will be able to protect the freedom of people who use the internet since he is familiar with security threats.
Iran's Cabinet has 18 ministerial posts, but Rouhani did not propose a candidate for ministry of science, which is in charge of higher education.
Under the law, the president can manage ministries which have no leader for up to three months.
Before the voting, Rouhani said the top foreign policy priority for his new government was to protect the nuclear deal from being torn up by the United States.
"The most important job of our foreign minister is first to stand behind the JCPOA, and not to allow the U.S. and other enemies to succeed," Rouhani told parliament, using the technical name for the 2015 deal that eased sanctions in exchange for curbs to Iran's nuclear program.
"Standing up for the JCPOA means standing up to Iran's enemies," he said on the last day of debates over his cabinet selections.
Rouhani indicated a week ago that Iran was ready to walk out on the nuclear deal if the United States continued to apply fresh sanctions.
But Rouhani has insisted the deal remains the preferred way forward, not least to help rebuild Iran's economy and create jobs.
"The second responsibility of the foreign ministry ... is to get involved in economic activities. It should help attract foreign investment and technology," Rouhani said.
Rouhani began his second term earlier this month after winning a victory over in May.