It was not immediately clear what triggered the resignation. Iran says its nuclear programme is for civilian power, denying Western claims that it wants a nuclear bomb. Mr Aghazadeh also stepped down as the country’s vice-president, Isna reported. The agency said it had spoken to Mr Aghazadeh, who gave no explanation for his move but told them that Mr Ahmadinejad had accepted the resignation. A spokesman for Iran’s atomic energy department and the official Irna news agency confirmed the news. Correspondents say that although Mr Aghazadeh has long supervised Iran’s nuclear programme, his resignation may have a limited impact on negotiations with Western powers, which are headed by Iranian nuclear envoy Saeed Jalili.
