Parliament Approval Required for Final Iran Nuclear Deal: MP


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Iranian lawmaker reiterated that contents of a possible final agreement between Tehran and six world powers on Iran's nuclear program will need to be ratified by the country's parliament.

If Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) reach a comprehensive nuclear deal, the accord will definitely have to be endorsed by the legislature to take effect, Chairman of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi told reporters in Tehran on Sunday.

He underlined that the likely nuclear deal as well as all of its appendices need the parliament's endorsement.

His comments come as Iran and the six powers are in talks to hammer out a final deal to end a decade of impasse over Tehran's peaceful nuclear energy program.

On April 2, the two sides reached a framework nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final deal until the end of June.

Elsewhere in his comments, Boroujerdi noted that adopting the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) comes within the purview of the parliament.

The Additional Protocol allows reinforced and unannounced inspections of a country's nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and requires that information be provided on all activities regarding the nuclear fuel cycle.

Iran, a signatory of the NPT, voluntarily implemented the additional protocol between 2003 and 2005, but ceased to apply it after its nuclear case was sent to the United Nations Security Council.

States party to the NPT are not required to adopt the additional protocol, although the IAEA is urging all to do so.