TEHRAN -- The resignation of Art Research Center director Hassan Bolkhari was rejected by the new director of the Iranian Academy of Arts (IAA) Ali Mo’allem Damghani on Sunday.

Mo’allem Damghani sent a letter to Bolkhari, asking him to stay on as the director of the center.
Last week, he also refused to accept the resignation of IAA secretary Bahman Namvar-Motlaq.
Poet Mo’allem Damghani succeeded painter and architect Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the major rival of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 presidential election, on December 22.
Mousavi’s dismissal occurred following the Iranian government’s decision to modify article 8 of the IAA charter. The modification empowered the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, headed by president, to appoint the IAA director.
According to the former article, the director was selected by the IAA General Assembly from among three nominees.
A number of IAA members raised strong objections to the government’s decision, threatening to resign if a director is imposed upon the academy