Tehran:
Iran's state TV is reporting the country has appointed its first ever foreign ministry spokeswoman.
The report quotes Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying Marzieh Afkham has been appointed spokesperson for the country's diplomatic apparatus.
Ms Afkham has been working in the ministry for nearly 30 years and was head of its public relations department under former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
After the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran appointed Mansoureh Sharifisadr as female charge d'affaires in Japan. In the mid-1970s, the West-backed Shah's government appointed Mehrangiz Dolatshahi as its first female ambassador to Denmark.
New President Hasan Rouhani has promised more opportunities for women. Last week he appointed another woman, Elham Aminzadeh, as vice president in charge of legal affairs.