Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 5
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers will be discussed in parliament session next month, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said Sept. 5.
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is under study in a special commission in the parliament and other related parliamentary commissions, including national security and foreign policy commission, Larijani said.
The commissions will announce their final opinion on the deal by late September, the speaker said, adding later the issue will be discussed in parliament session, Iran's official IRIB news agency reported.
Larijani further said that the parliament is going to have more compact sessions on the issue.
On July 14, the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany) and Iran announced an agreement that could result in relief from US and EU sanctions by the end of current year.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali said Khamenei said on Sept.3 that he favored a parliamentary vote on the nuclear deal.
"Lawmakers should not be sidelined on the nuclear agreement. This doesn't mean that parliament should approve or reject the deal. It is their decision to back or oppose," he said.
Khamenei's comments put an end to disputes over the parliament's competency on the issue.
Some hardliners inside Iran argue that the nuclear deal should be ratified by parliament as a law.
Meanwhile Iranian President Hassan Rouhani believes that passing the nuclear deal as a law in the parliament is not in favor of the government.
"The passing of the JCPOA into law by the parliament will only lay pressure on the government. It will be a move in favor of the P5+1 since while none of the P5+1 government has signed the deal, the parliament move if accomplished would mean that the Iranian president and foreign minister would have to sign it," Rouhani said Aug. 29.
Earlier Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that it will not be appropriate within the framework of national interests if parliament intends to ratify the JCPOA.
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