In a decree on Monday, Rouhani assigned Hemmati to the post of the head of the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran given his educational degrees, expertise, and executive experiences.

Hemmati was appointed as the caretaker of the IRCS, after the former head of the organization, Ali-Asghar Peyvandi, resigned from his position late 2019.

The president, in his decree, referred to the country’s current situation after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, saying the IRCS is expected to mobilize all efforts, in cooperation with the other related bodies as well as the altruistic Iranian nation, to serve the people and strongly counter the COVID-19 and other mishaps in the country.