Iran MP says any US deal must be reviewed by lawmakers

A member of Iran’s parliament presidium said any memorandum of understanding with the United States must be reviewed by parliament if it becomes an agreement, treaty or similar binding arrangement.

Alireza Salimi said no agreement should violate the Strategic Action Law to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Rights of the Iranian Nation, a law mandating the government to expand nuclear activities if US sanctions are not lifted.

Passed in 2020 after Tehran accused other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal of failing to meet their commitments, the law led Iran to step up uranium enrichment beyond the agreement’s limits and sharply restrict international inspections of its nuclear sites.

Its enrichment provisions were not merely a negotiating tactic. Iran began enriching uranium to 20% in early 2021, breaking the JCPOA limit of 3.65%, and later increased enrichment to 60% during talks with the West to revive the nuclear deal.

Under the same law, Tehran also halted voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol and restricted inspectors’ access to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites.