Iran president selects hardline cabinet to drive hard bargain with U.S.

Iran's deputy negotiator Ali Bagheri speaks during a news conference in Almaty April 5, 2013. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran, emboldened by the messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, is betting that its new hardline cabinet -- including Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani -- can force concessions in talks on Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Bagheri, a hardline senior diplomat, was named on Tuesday to replace Abbas Araqchi, a seasoned pragmatist diplomat and chief negotiator in the negotiations that Tehran hopes will lead to a lifting of U.S. sanctions.