Rohani, who was elected last month and will be inaugurated on August 4, has pledged a less abrasive stance in nuclear talks with world powers than outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who offended many in the West by denying the Holocaust and calling for Israel to be erased “from the page of time”.
The Isna and Mehr news agencies said Rohani would nominate Mohamed Forouzandeh as head of the Supreme National Security Council, effectively making him Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.
The moderate cleric will also bring former oil minister Bijan Zanganeh back to his old job and name former UN envoy Mohamed Javad Zarif as foreign minister, the agencies said.
There was no immediate official confirmation of the reported nominees for top posts. Parliament must approve all the president’s ministerial choices.
Forouzandeh, tipped to head Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, is a former Revolutionary Guard, a former defence minister and now a member of Iran’s Security Council.
He also heads the Foundation for the Oppressed and Disabled, the biggest of the state charitable organisations which dominate large parts of the economy. It controls companies involved in petrochemicals, shipping, construction and a host of other enterprises and employs tens of thousands of people.
Zanganeh, Rohani’s reported choice as oil minister, would be returning to a job he held under Iran’s reformist government from 1997 until 2005, when Ahmadinejad took office.
Zanganeh helped attract billions of dollars of foreign investment into Iran’s oil and gas industry, and was seen as enjoying Khamenei’s support.
“He’s a good communicator and respected within Opec,” said a Gulf Opec delegate. “This is good news in terms of oil prices and market stability.”
