Guardian Council Approves Parliament's Nuclear Bill

On Wednesday, July 3, the Guardian Council approved the Islamic Consultative Assembly's bill known as the 'Obligation of the Government to Preserve Nuclear Achievements and Rights.' According to IRNA news agency, this bill, the details of which were approved by the Parliament on Tuesday, was reviewed in an extraordinary session of the Guardian Council on Wednesday afternoon, where the majority of its members did not find the bill contrary to Islamic law and the Constitution. The approval of this bill by the Guardian Council comes a day after Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, declared it unconstitutional. On the same day, Marzieh Afkham, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that the government does not consider the Parliament's nuclear bill beneficial and suggested that the Parliament should have taken the considerations of the nuclear team into account before passing the bill. This bill outlines demands as prerequisites for Iran's acceptance of a final nuclear agreement, including the 'complete and unconditional lifting of sanctions against Iran' and a 'prohibition' on the International Atomic Energy Agency's access to military, security, and sensitive non-nuclear sites. The approval of this bill by the Guardian Council could complicate Iran's negotiations with Western powers, especially with only seven days remaining until the deadline for reaching a final nuclear agreement. The Parliament's action in passing this bill coincides with new statements from Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who reiterated a long list of Iran's red lines in nuclear negotiations, stating that the lifting of Western sanctions 'should not be conditional on Iran's commitments.' According to Reuters, Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, reacted to these statements on Wednesday, saying that the remarks of Iranian leaders do not help in reaching a final nuclear agreement. In a press conference alongside his Saudi counterpart regarding nuclear negotiations with Iran, he stated, 'France seeks to reach an agreement, but it wants this agreement to be a strong one, not a bad one.' He added that some of the recent Iranian officials' statements 'apparently do not align with this path.' The complete text of the bill 'Obligation of the Government to Preserve Nuclear Achievements and Rights' is as follows: Article 1: In order to protect national interests and comply with the regulations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, any results of nuclear negotiations with the 1+5 countries are only valid if the following requirements are transparently met: 1. All sanctions must be completely and integrally lifted on the day of the agreement as part of the agreement. 2. Within the framework of the Supreme National Security Council's resolutions, the International Atomic Energy Agency is permitted to conduct routine inspections of nuclear sites. Access to all military, security, and sensitive non-nuclear sites, documents, and scientists is prohibited. 3. No restrictions on acquiring peaceful nuclear knowledge and technology and research and development are accepted, and the resolutions of the Supreme National Security Council must be adhered to. Note 1: According to Articles 77 and 125 of the Constitution, the results of negotiations must be submitted to the Parliament for compliance with the Constitution and legal resolutions. Note 2: The Minister of Foreign Affairs is required to report the implementation process of the agreement to the Parliament every six months. The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament will present a report on the proper implementation of the agreement to the representatives every six months.