A woman has been appointed deputy governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) for the first time since the 1979 revolution that replaced the monarchy with an Islamic republic, ISNA news agency reported Saturday.
Minou Kianirad was appointed by CBI director Mahmoud Bahmani as his deputy and head of the foreign currency department, dpa quoted the report as saying.
Kianirad, formerly in charge of the CBI international affairs department, will try to stabilize Iran's foreign currency market where the exchange rates to the local currency are rising.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has backed the appointment of more women to government positions his plans to increase their number in his administration have been blocked by conservatives.
In 2009, parliament approved only one of three women ministers he wanted to include in his cabinet, making Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi health minister and the first woman minister since 1979.
There are only eight women lawmakers in Iran's 290-seat parliament.