Iran's Foreign Ministry tasked with leading nuclear talks

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TEHRAN, Sept. 5 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has tasked the Foreign Ministry with conducting the upcoming nuclear talks with the world powers, semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday.

Mohammad-Javad Zarif, the country's new Foreign Minister, is an experienced diplomat over Iran's controversial nuclear program and was a member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, led by Rouhani, from 2003 to 2005.

However, it is not disclosed whether Zarif or another official from Foreign Ministry will head the Iranian team in the talks.

Former Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Araqchi, said earlier that "If the Foreign Ministry is tasked with (leading the nuclear) talks, I am sure that the ministry has the required capacity and will do the job well."

By Rouhani's Thursday decree, Iran's Foreign Ministry will take over the responsibility from the Supreme National Security Council of the country.

Both Iran's new government and the world powers, have shown interest for resuming nuclear talks after the last round of negotiations, which were held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in April ended without yielding much practical results.

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