(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday the Iranian foreign ministry would take over negotiations in what appeared a move to streamline Iran's nuclear diplomacy, Reuters reported.
Iran and the IAEA last met in Vienna on May 15. The meeting, which was the 10th of its kind, was presided by former Iranian envoy to the UN nuclear watchdog agency Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh and IAEA deputy Director-General Herman Nackaerts.
Iran appointed Reza Najafi as its new envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency on Saturday.
Soltaniyeh served as Iran's permanent representative at the UN nuclear watchdog for nearly a decade. Soltaniyeh’s mission came to an end on September 1.
Najafi, a career diplomat, has served as deputy director-general of the foreign ministry’s political and international bureau and head of the ministry’s disarmament office.
The US, Israel and some of their allies claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with Washington and the European Union using the unfounded allegation as a pretext to impose sanctions on Iran.
Tehran strongly rejects the groundless claim over its nuclear activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the IAEA, it is entitled to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
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