Iran’s president has not accepted the resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a foreign ministry spokesman has said.
Hassan Rouhani’s chief-of-staff said earlier that he was “satisfied” with Mr Zarif’s record in the role.
Mr Zarif offered to resign on Monday, saying he hoped to allow his ministry to reclaim its “proper statutory role”.
His role negotiating the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers exposed him to sharp criticism from hardliners.
Many hardliners opposed the decision to accept limits on the country’s nuclear activities in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions.
Pressure on Mr Zarif grew last year after US President Donald Trump abandoned the deal and reinstated US sanctions targeting Iran’s oil and banking sectors.
On Tuesday morning, he urged fellow diplomats not to follow his lead and suggested that he had resigned because he felt he had been sidelined.
“I hope my resignation will act as a spur for the foreign ministry to regain its proper statutory role in the conduct of foreign affairs,” he said.
