Iran's president rejects the resignation of his foreign minister

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has rejected the resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, according to the country's semi-official Fars news agency.

"The presidential office said the resignation had not been accepted," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said, Fars reported Tuesday.

The nation's top diplomat announced his intention to step down from his post, which he has held since 2013, on Instagram on Monday evening. Rouhani is required to accept the resignation in order for the move to go into effect, according to Iranian law.

Qasemi said any speculation about the reasons for Zarif's resignation beyond what appeared on his Instagram page is incorrect, reported Fars.

"I sincerely apologize for the incapacity to continue serving and all the shortcomings during the service," Zarif wrote on Instagram, adding, "Be happy and upbeat."

In an interview with the semi-official ISNA news agency, Zarif said he hoped his sudden resignation would act as a "wake-up call for restoring the Foreign Ministry to its real and legal position in foreign affairs."

Zarif was the key architect in the landmark 2015 deal aimed at reining in Iran's nuclear program, which US President Donald Trump withdrew from last year. He has been Iran's foreign minister since 2013 and is well known in western circles. He was educated in the United States and speaks English fluently.