IRAQ - Gholamreza Aghazadeh.

Vice President under Khatami and head of the Atomic Energy Organisation since August 1997, Aghazadeh until then was oil minister and chairman of NIOC from October 1985. He is also a member of the powerful Expediency Council, chaired by ex-President Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, which mediates between

Born at Khoy, Azerbaijan, in 1947, Aghazadeh studied accountancy and computer engineering at Tehran University. He worked as a customs official. He went to the US for further studies but returned in late 1978 as the revolution against the shah began. He was active in the opposition during the shah's reign, and in 1979 became a director of the ultra-populist IRP newspaper 'Jomhuri Islami', of which Mir-Hossein Musavi was the editor. In 1980, Musavi became foreign minister and made Aghazadeh his deputy in charge of economic relations and finance.

Two years later, as Musavi became prime minister, Aghazadeh was made state minister for executive affairs, a post attached to the premier's office. Later he held the title of deputy PM for executive affairs in charge of Iran's oil barter deals with foreign states and companies under a countertrade system started in 1982. He co-ordinated policies of various ministries through the PM's office. His talents in this earned him the post of oil minister in late October 1985, to succeed Mohammad Gharazi.

Although he now heads the Atomic Energy Organisation (AEO), Aghazadeh has little involvement in current Iranian negotiations with the European powers (EU3) over Iran's nuclear development programme, which the US suspects to be intended for production of atomic bombs.

In fact, the AEO is not in charge of the country's nuclear development programme; this is being under the command of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. And the negotiators with the EU3 are senior members of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). The SNSC's Secretary Hassan Rawhani is the chief negotiator with the EU3 and the UN's Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Rawhani is a protege of Rafsanjani, as well as being close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It has been speculated that Rowhani may become a candidate to the presidency for the June 17 elections.

Last month, the Majlis (parliament) authorised the government to meet 20,000 MW of domestic energy requirements from nuclear power plants, due to a spiralling demand for electricity. The Majlis voted on Clause II annexed to Note 11 of the budget bill for the new Iranian fiscal year (March 2005-2006) which is to come into force once it is approved by the Guardians Council.