Iran MP says parliament was shut so officials could sign anything without oversight

The head of parliament’s Health and Treatment Committee criticized what he called the continued closure of parliament, saying lawmakers had been sidelined as the Islamic Republic moved toward a memorandum with the United States.

“They closed parliament so they could sign whatever they wanted,” Hosseinali Shahriari said.

Shahriari said the memorandum with Washington must ultimately be approved by parliament and warned against repeating the swift approval of the 2015 nuclear deal.

“The time when they approved the JCPOA in parliament in 20 minutes has passed. We were harmed by this once, and the same thing must not happen again,” he said.

He also criticized Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s remarks about the possible dilution of enriched uranium, saying the nuclear issue should not be part of the negotiations because it is among the Islamic Republic’s red lines.