VIENNA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Romanian diplomat Cornel Feruta is chosen to head the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, according to a statement published here Thursday.

Members of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrive for a special meeting following the death of its director general on July 25, 2019 at the IAEA's headquarters in Vienna, Austria. (Photo: VCG)

"The Board of Governors has decided to designate Mr. Cornel Feruta as acting Director General, until a Director General assumes office," the IAEA said.

Feruta, head-coordinator of the IAEA since 2013, has been responsible for coordinating the Agency's internal and external activities.

He is known as a staunch supporter of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, reached by Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) in 2015, from which the U.S. unilaterally withdrew last year.

According to IAEA rules and procedures, decisions of the Board on appointing a new director general have to be made by a two-thirds majority of the members' voting.