The Hidden Appeal of the JCPOA for the Majlis

Continuing the existing disagreements in Iran over the final fate of the nuclear agreement or JCPOA, on Sunday, several representatives in the Islamic Consultative Assembly expressed their opinions both in favor of and against the ratification of the JCPOA in the parliament. On the other hand, more than two hundred members of parliament issued two separate statements calling for the examination of the JCPOA in parliament and for holding missile exercises. In Iran, like in the United States, disagreements over the nuclear agreement between Iran and the 1+5 countries continue, and hardline groups opposing the nuclear agreement, after failing to prevent its signing, are now trying to express their views by bringing the text of the JCPOA to parliament. Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, a representative from Qom, stated on Sunday that the JCPOA must be ratified by parliament: "According to Article 77 of the Constitution, all documents of international agreements must be approved by parliament. Or it is said that the Supreme Leader referred the nuclear case to the Supreme National Security Council; it should be noted that the Supreme Leader referred the negotiations to the Supreme National Security Council, not the JCPOA itself." In contrast, Iraj Abdi, a representative from Khorramabad, rejected the necessity of parliament's ratification of the JCPOA: "Some colleagues and legal experts who believe that the government should present the JCPOA to parliament and cite Article 77 of the Constitution should be informed that the nature of the JCPOA is of the kind of Article 110 of the Constitution and does not need parliamentary approval, and the goal is achieved with approval from the Supreme National Security Council." At the end of the public session of parliament on Sunday, a statement reportedly signed by 201 members was read: "We representatives thank the nuclear negotiation team for their considerable efforts in the negotiations. According to Articles 77 and 125 of the Constitution, reviewing the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA is a legal duty of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the representatives of the nation. The text of the JCPOA should be presented to parliament in the form of a bill by the esteemed government, which must be submitted to parliament as soon as possible." Ali-Asghar Ramadanpour, a political analyst based in London, commented on the ongoing disagreements over the JCPOA to Radio Farda: "Of course, the approving tone of Mr. Khamenei regarding the JCPOA somewhat eased the government's work. However, if we look closely at Mr. Khamenei's remarks, he left the issue of its ratification somewhat uncertain. Thus, based on Mr. Khamenei's statements, the JCPOA can either be ratified in parliament or not. Therefore, this duality in Mr. Khamenei's remarks created an environment for hardliners to gradually change their tone regarding the JCPOA in recent weeks. Mr. Jannati's remarks in Friday prayers about the necessity of the JCPOA being ratified in parliament, as well as Mr. Shariatmadari's comments, the editor-in-chief of Kayhan, indicating that Mr. Khamenei does not have a favorable opinion of the JCPOA, created an environment for this group of representatives to explicitly demand the JCPOA's presentation to parliament. Therefore, it can be said that hardliners have somewhat utilized Mr. Khamenei's dual tone in recent days to strengthen their position in discussions about the JCPOA against the government. Overall, it seems that Mr. Khamenei and the Iranian government are inclined to ensure that this agreement is reached in some form. The parliament's position is more of a dual one, which does not want to leave this issue solely to the government while also wanting to be a partner in what might be considered a victory in Iran, and on the other hand, keeping its options open against the U.S. Congress, which has still left the JCPOA unresolved, so that it does not appear that the final decision is being made by the U.S. On another note, Fars News Agency published a statement from 204 members of parliament addressed to Hassan Firouzabadi, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic on Sunday. In this statement, the Chief of Staff is requested that since the President, the Foreign Ministry, and the negotiating team do not consider the nuclear agreement binding, the Ministry of Defense should conduct missile tests and exercises of the IRGC and the Ministry of Defense based on the planned and approved programs. Hossein Aryan, a military affairs analyst in Newcastle, UK, told Radio Farda that the request for holding exercises is more of an excuse to oppose the nuclear agreement: "The discussions by the IRGC and some commanders or Basij members regarding holding a missile exercise are actually intended to show opposition to this comprehensive nuclear agreement. While this agreement includes a five-year arms embargo and eight years of missile technology imports. Holding a missile exercise in Iran does not contradict this nuclear agreement. However, the insistence of some IRGC commanders or Basij members on holding exercises indicates a kind of implicit opposition." Fars News Agency reported on Saturday that 500 officials from the student Basij across the country issued a statement calling on Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, to hold missile exercises.