Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
צילום: AFP
Ahmadinejad appoints new nuclear chief
Iranian president named Ali Akbar Salehi to the post of nuclear program chief; also names former tourist minister Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie new first VP
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has appointed a new chief for the country's nuclear program, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported Friday.
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's former envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, will replace the veteran Gholam Reza Aghazadeh.
Officials gave no reason for Aghazadeh's resignation, but he has long been close to reformist opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claimed to be the true victor in June 12 presidential elections.
The new appointment is not expected to bring any change in the nuclear policy.
In his 12 years on the job, Aghazadeh pushed steadily ahead with the nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at developing a weapon. Iran denies that charge.
Also on Friday, Ahmadinejad named Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, one of his close advisors, and a relative, his first vice-president.
Ahmadinejad's son is married to one of Mashaie's daughters.
Mashaie previously served as Iran's vice president in charge of tourism, replaced Parviz Davoudi in the post. this post.
The new vice president was harshly criticized in the past for saying that Iran was "a friend of the Israeli people", but several months after that he changed his tune, saying that "the destruction of the Zionist regime must be the entire world's goal."
The Associated Press and AFP contributed to this report
