Iran's moderate conservative Ali Larijani was re-elected on Sunday as the temporary speaker of the country's new parliament.

The politician won 173 votes in the 290-seat assembly, while his competitor Mohammad Reza Aref, a senior reformist, received 103. Larijani cooperated closely with the government of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, in approving Iran's nuclear deal with world powers last year.

A vote for a permanent speaker is due to be held in the next few days, after the full house approves the credentials of individual MPs, as required by Iran's constitution.