Jahangiri began his political career following the Iranian revolution. He became deputy head of the agriculture department in Kerman in July 1980. Then, he was appointed its head in 1982. He was elected to the Iranian Parliament in 1984 election. He was also reelected in next election. He was appointed governor of Isfahan on 1 September 1992 by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to replace with Gholamhossein Karbaschi. He held the position until 20 August 1997 when he was nominated by Mohammad Khatami as the minister of mines and metals and was confirmed by the Parliament.[6] His portfolio was later changed to the minister of industries and mines[7] and he held that position until President Ahmadinejad's cabinet took over in 2005.[8]
In 2008, it was rumored that Jahangiri would run for a seat in the Parliament but he denied it.[9]
In April 2017, it was announced the Jahangiri would register as a candidate for the 2017 Iranian presidential elections. He was successfully vetted and approved by the Guardian Council on 20 April 2017 and officially became a presidential candidate. Many viewed his decision to run for the presidency as a tactical decision to support Rouhani throughout the debates and then withdraw before the voting commenced.[13][14] He withdrew on 16 May 2017. Later, Hassan Rouhani won the election and Jahangiri was reappointed as first vice president.
COVID-19 outbreak
On 4 March 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic became known to have spread to Iran, the IranWire website reported that Jahangiri had been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019.[15] However, there was no immediate confirmation from Iranian officials.[16] On 11 March, his infection was confirmed by semi-official Fars News Agency.[17] On 15 March, his office announced that he "tested negative for coronavirus and since he has fully recovered, he returned to his office and resumed his job".[18]
Brothers of Jahangiri
He has four other brothers named Ebrahim, Yaqub, Mohammad, and Mehdi, among them Mehdi is relatively more famous.[19]
Mohammad and Yaqub were killed during the Iran-Iraq War.[19]
Mehdi Jahangiri
Mehdi Jahangiri, Brother of Ishaq, established the Tourism Financial Group and later founded the private company, "Semega" (Cultural Heritage and Tourism Investment of Iran) and the Iranian private bank, Tourism Bank.[19]