You have to wonder what happened with Larijani.

On Thursday it was announced that he was going to Rome next week to meet with EU Chief Negotiator, Javier Solana.

Today he resigns citing differences of opinion with Ahmadinnerjacket regarding "Iran's peaceful nuclear case".

Deputy foreign minister Saeid Jalili has been appointed to take his place.

About Jalili:

Little is known about Jalili except that he is one of the new faces in the foreign ministry and has a promising diplomatic career. Even local photographers had difficulty finding a file picture of the new man, whose job might even be more sensitive than that of the foreign minister.

"Larijani's resignation and Jalili's appointment will have more internal rather than external impact as the nuclear issue is a state matter and therefore decided within a collective led by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei," a political observer in Teheran said.

"More important is how Ahmadinejad wants to explain to the public at home why his one of his most important men quit the president's administration and a why political newcomer is taking charge of one of the country's most sensitive jobs," he added.

Observers believe that Jalili is expected to adopt the same line with Solana as his predecessor, but many question whether he will have the same charisma and diplomatic skills as Larijani.

Update: Rick Moran thinks this is a bad deal for the US and that Jalili is a true believer. It is not known if Larijani has resigned his position as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council - a position that gives him direct access to the Gran Supremo Khameini...

Update II: It looks like Larijani is going to be going to Rome after all. Or not. Oh, and he resigned for "personal reasons".