Iran insisted on Sunday that its policy in the nuclear crisis with the West would not change after the sudden resignation of chief negotiator Ali Larijani, amid fears his successor would take an even tougher line.
Larijani, who was seen as having a moderating influence on nuclear policy, stepped down following a prolonged disagreement with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the handling of Iran's position in the stand-off.
His successor, deputy foreign minister Saeed Jalili, is a hard-liner and a close confidant of the president, and is believed by analysts to share Ahmadinejad's unrelenting refusal of offering any concession to the West. But foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini insisted the change in personnel did not herald any switch in policy.
"The resignation of Mr Larijani was agreed by the president but the policies and strategies of the Islamic republic on the nuclear issue are unchangeable goals," he told reporters.