Bahonar: Presenting the JCPOA Bill to Parliament Does Not Serve National Interests

Two days after the Iranian President stated that there is no need for parliamentary approval of the Vienna nuclear agreement, the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament also said that "presenting the JCPOA bill to Parliament does not serve national interests." According to ISNA news agency, Mohammad Reza Bahonar emphasized on Tuesday, September 9, that despite differing opinions regarding the submission of the Vienna nuclear agreement bill, or what he calls the "JCPOA" (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), the Parliament will not have "problems with the government." "I strongly believe that submitting the bill to Parliament and its approval cannot preserve national interests; because it ties the government's hands. Of course, this is my personal opinion and not the opinion of the Parliament," said Bahonar. He also added: "I strongly believe that submitting the bill to Parliament and its approval cannot preserve national interests; because it ties the government's hands. Of course, this is my personal opinion and not the opinion of the Parliament." Mr. Bahonar predicted that the government and Parliament would reach a "consensus" on this matter and that "a decision will be made and action will be taken." According to a law titled "Obligation of the Government to Preserve Achievements and Nuclear Rights," the "results of negotiations" regarding Iran's nuclear program must be "submitted to Parliament," and at the same time, 201 members of Parliament have asked the government to "submit the Vienna nuclear agreement as soon as possible in the form of a bill." Meanwhile, on Wednesday, August 28, Parliament members elected the members of the "Special Commission for Reviewing the JCPOA." However, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, said on Saturday, September 7, in his first press conference after the Vienna nuclear agreement that this agreement is not a new international treaty that requires parliamentary approval. One day after these statements, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesman for the Special Commission for Reviewing the JCPOA, emphasized that this commission does not need a bill from the government and will prepare its report on this agreement and present it to the Parliament's leadership for "decision-making purposes." Discussions about presenting the Vienna nuclear agreement bill come as the Parliament's summer recess begins this week, with the next session scheduled for Sunday, September 29. However, members of the "Special Commission for Reviewing the JCPOA" have announced that they will continue their work during the Parliament's recess. Meanwhile, the Kayhan newspaper, in a headline on the front page of its Tuesday issue, protested the Parliament's recess and stated that closing the Parliament "is not in the interest of the country in these critical and sensitive conditions." This newspaper and a group of representatives from the Stability Front in Parliament are among the main critics of the Vienna nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, said on Sunday during a meeting with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, that "you should not be discouraged by the extremism of a limited minority." He added: "De-escalation, neutralizing and countering the evil policy of Iranophobia, and constructive engagement with the world while preserving dignity, wisdom, and authority are among the characteristics and art of diplomacy in the eleventh government." Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani also stated on Tuesday, August 13, that Iran's nuclear negotiations began with the positive view of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, before the recent presidential elections, and the group known as "Delvapasan" was unaware of these negotiations. The term "Delvapasan" refers to critics of nuclear negotiations in Iran.