"In his letter, the secretary of the Supreme Council of National Security provided reasons for his actions and those of the council on the nuclear case," IRNA said, without providing further details.

Rowhani's resignation, if confirmed, comes less than two weeks after ultra-conservative Mahmood Ahmadinejad was elected president, beating rival candidate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, to whom Rowhani is considered to be close.