Iran’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday that Saeed Khatibzadeh, a diplomat, will be its new spokesman, after former spokesperson Abbas Mousavi was appointed as ambassador to Azerbaijan.

Media in Tehran reports that his formal introduction as spokesman took place on August 16, in the presence of foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Mr. Khatibzadeh is not a well-known figure in the media. He is the 12th foreign ministry spokesman since the establishment of the Islamic Republic more than four decades ago. Previously, he was deputy of foreign ministry’s center for political and international research.

Some media reports in Iran say that Khatibzadeh also served as a diplomat in Germany and Canada.

The former spokesman Abbas Mousavi served 16 months before being appointed as ambassador to Azerbaijan. His predecessor Bahran Ghasemi was also appointed as ambassador, serving in France.

With less than a year left to the presidency of Hassan Rouhani it is not clear that foreign minister Zarif will remain in his post after elections. Iran’s hardliners who dominate the parliament are expected also to seize the presidency and they have been Zarif’s strong critics.