TEHRAN – The Iranian transport and labor ministers succeeded to win a vote of confidence in an impeachment session in the parliament on Tuesday.

Abbas Akhoundi, the minister of transport and urban development, secured 152 votes in favor, 92 against and 2 abstentions.

In the 290-seat parliament, 246 MPs were present in the voting session for the transport minister.

It was the third time that Akhoundi was being impeached. He has been in the post since Rouhani elected president in 2013 and named his cabinet in the August of that year.

Akhoundi was being grilled over a number of issues including a passenger plane crash that killed all 66 people on board in the southwestern city of Yasuj on February 18. Some lawmakers blamed Akhoundi’s mismanagement for the deadly crash.

Labor Minister Ali Rabiei also survived impeachment. However, he received the least votes in comparison to Akhoundi. 

Rabiei secured the vote of confidence gaining 126 out of 253 votes in favor, 123 against, and two abstentions.

He faced impeachment for alleged mismanagement.

Several cabinet members, including First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, Culture Minister Abbas Salehi and chief of the Department of Environment Isa Kalantari accompanied Akhoundi during the hearing at the legislature.