Director General of the Public Relations Department of the ministry Mahdokht Boroujerdi on Monday confirmed earlier reports on Moin's resignation.

Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mostafa Moin handed over his resignation to President Mohammad Khatami on Thursday but the president gave no response to the resignation request, she said.

Scientific progress of the country is on top of the agenda of the science ministry, she added. When the minister of science is witnessing that for various illogical reasons obstacles are being thrown on the way of nation's scientific progress, he would be left with no alternative than resignation, Boroujerdi said.

It is believed that Moin's resignation was mainly due to the Guardian Council's rejection of a bill that he put forward to restructure his ministry.