TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A semi-official news agency reports that Iran's top leader has named a hard-line cleric as the country's new judiciary chief.

The Thursday report by the Fars news agency says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Ebrahim Raisi to the post in a decree.

Khamenei urged Raisi to rejuvenate the country's judiciary, fight corruption, restore public rights and legitimate freedoms and supervise the implementation of laws.

Raisi succeeds Sadegh Amoli Larijani, who held the post for nearly 10 years.

The head of the Iran's judiciary serves a five-year term and the Supreme Leader can reinstate him for an additional term.

Raisi was a top challenger to the relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani in the 2017 presidential elections, though he still garnered nearly 16 million votes in his campaign.