Iran has appointed its first woman ambassador since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Marzieh Af-kham was named as the head of its embassy in Malaysia.
Afkham was also the first woman in the Islamic republic to serve as foreign ministry spokeswoman.
Iran’s laws since the revolution have been criticised as unfair to women in cases of marriage, divorce and inheritance.
While women may hold key posts, including in parliament and the cabinet, they can not serve as judges and have not been allowed to run for president.
After his 2013 election, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani called on ministers to appoint women to high posts and said that his government would stand up to discrimination, naming three women to the country’s 11 vice presidential positions.