Confusion surrounds the future of Iran's top nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani with conflicting accounts emerging over whether he had resigned.
The official IRNA news agency said Wednesday that Rohani, who led the Islamic state's talks with the European Union since October 2003, had resigned.
Citing an "informed source," IRNA reported Rohani had sent his resignation letter to President Mohammad Khatami. No reason was given for Rohani's sudden decision to quit his post as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
It was not clear whether his resignation had been accepted.
An official at Rohani's office said he could neither confirm nor deny the IRNA report.
But an SNSC spokesman, Ali Aghamohammadi, immediately denied the report, telling a media source that it was "a sheer lie ... Resigning at this time would be meaningless."
He added that Rohani had held a meeting with Ahmadinejad on Wednesday to discuss security policy, including nuclear talks with the European Union which are due to resume in August.
But a source close to Rohani said that while he had not resigned, he probably would do soon.
"It seems he is not ready to continue this responsibility (as chief nuclear negotiator) when the new president takes office," he said.
Ahmadinejad will take up office on Aug. 4.
"It is doubtful that his policies will be acceptable to the new government's policies," the source added.
During the presidential race, Ahmadinejad said Iran's nuclear negotiators had been too timid although after his election win he pledged to continue the talks with the EU.
Intense media speculation has circulated in Iran in recent days that Rohani would resign following the presidential election victory on June 24 of conservative Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following his declaration of support for beaten presidential candidate Hashemi Rafsanjani.
If Rohani's resignation is accepted, according to another government source the former state broadcasting chief Ali Larijani could replace.
"What I have heard is that it will be Larijani," he said.
Larijani, who came six out of seven candidates in the first round of presidential elections, has been critical of the nuclear negotiating tactics employed by Rohani and his team, likening their approach to "exchanging a pearl for a candy bar."
Since taking hold of the nuclear portfolio in 2003, Rohani has taken the route aimed at preventing Iran's case from being referred to the Security Council where Tehran could face possible sanctions.
During his spell in charge of the nuclear portfolio, Rohani struck a series of deals with the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and France under which Tehran agreed to suspend sensitive nuclear fuel work to build international confidence in its peaceful intentions.
But he also maintained a tough line against U.S. and European demands that Iran scrap nuclear fuel work, particularly uranium enrichment, for good, insisting it was Iran's right which it would never surrender.