Iran`s envoy to UN nuclear agency expected to leave post: Sources

Vienna: Iran`s veteran envoy to the UN nuclear agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, is expected to leave his post soon but there is no word yet on who will replace him, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

If confirmed, it would come less than a week after the new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, appointed a pragmatist to head Iran`s atomic energy organisation. Rouhani has pledged to improve Iran`s ties with the outside world and ease stringent international sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme. There was no immediate comment from Iran`s mission to the UN International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA is investigating allegations that Iran has carried out research relevant for the development of nuclear weapons, a charge the country denies. Western diplomats have accused Iran of stonewalling the IAEA`s investigation. Reuters