Jannati: The Nuclear Agreement Must Be Approved by the Parliament

Ahmad Jannati, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, stated that he believes the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers should be approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament). The Vienna nuclear agreement and how it is to be converted into law in Iran has become a point of contention between President Hassan Rouhani's government and some conservatives. While the government believes that the nuclear agreement does not require parliamentary approval, figures among conservatives emphasize the need for parliamentary involvement in this matter. Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Guardian Council of Iran recommended in his Friday prayer sermon on August 13 that President Rouhani's government should submit a bill regarding this issue to the Parliament. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Jannati stated: "Currently, this issue needs to be examined legally to determine whether the agreement needs to go to the Parliament or not. In my opinion, this is one of the agreements that must be approved by the Parliament; if that is the case, the government should submit a bill." However, the Secretary of the Guardian Council did not dismiss the discussion of the Supreme National Security Council's involvement in this matter. He stated: "Of course, there is another opinion that the resolution of the Supreme National Security Council is sufficient for this agreement. In any case, we cannot determine this issue; responsible officials must address it so that it does not remain unresolved." Previously, among prominent clerics of the conservative faction, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the Assembly of Experts, stated that according to the Constitution, the Parliament must approve the nuclear agreement. Ahmad Tavakoli, a representative from Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also emphasized that "any kind of relationship or commitment that creates an obligation for the Iranian government" must be approved by the Parliament. However, the spokesman for the Iranian government stated that the Parliament is not supposed to vote on this agreement and that "the agreement must be addressed within the framework of the Supreme National Security Council."