Salehi Reappointed Nuclear Chief

Ali Akbar Salehi, in a presidential decree on Thursday, was reappointed as vice president and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. "In accordance with Article 124 of the Islamic Republic's Constitution and in view of your dedication, successful academic and managerial record and invaluable contributions to the nuclear deal, I appoint you as vice president and director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran," President Hassan Rouhani said in the decree carried by Iranian media. Under Article 124, anyone appointed by the president to lead an organization related to presidential affairs is titled vice president. Salehi was a key member of Iran's team of diplomats assigned by President Hassan Rouhani during his first term to negotiate the 2015 nuclear agreement with counterparts from P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany). Rouhani, whose mandate was extended in the May election for an additional four years, has also nominated the chief nuclear negotiator, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.