Iran mulls appointing first female ambassador since 1979

Marzieh Afkham will leave Tehran next month to serve as ambassador to Malaysia

Iran is considering appointing its first female ambassador since 1979, the Iranian students' news agency (ISNA) reported on Thursday.

Marzieh Afkham, the incumbent spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, will leave Tehran next month to serve as ambassador to Malaysia, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

Afkham, who also heads the Centre for Public and Media Diplomacy at the ministry, has served as the first female spokesperson for the ministry since September 2013, when President Hassan Rouhani took office.

The last female ambassador dispatched by Iran was Mehranghiz Dolatshahi, who served as Tehran's envoy to Denmark for three years until the 1979 Islamic revolution, ISNA added.