Khamenei: Parliament Must Review Deal

September 3, 2015

On September 3, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that lawmakers must weigh in on the nuclear deal. Khamenei announced his decision one day after President Barack Obama gained enough votes in the Senate to prevent opponents of the agreement from scuttling it. “I have no advice to Parliament regarding review of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and approval or disapproval of it. The representatives of the nation must decide about it,” the supreme leader told members of the Assembly of Experts.

President Hassan Rouhani’s administration had long argued that the agreement was not a treaty, and therefore it did not require parliamentary approval. In August, lawmakers selected 15 members for a panel to review the deal. Rouhani's government has yet to submit a bill for approval. But Khamenei’s latest remarks ensure that parliament will rule on it. “I have told the president that it is not in our interest to not let our lawmakers review the deal,” he said.
 
The supreme leader also warned that the deal would be off if sanctions are not totally removed. “We urged removal, not suspension, of sanctions,” he said. The following are excerpts from Khamenei’s remarks posted on his Twitter account.
 
Nuclear Deal
 
The United States and the West