Iran’s parliament approved a historic nuclear deal with world powers on Tuesday, effectively ending debate among lawmakers over the agreement and paving the way for its formal implementation.
The motion to approve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was passed with 161 votes in favour, 59 against and with 13 abstentions, the official IRNA news agency and other media said. An early tally of the vote said 250 of Iran’s 290 MPs were present, with the numbers suggesting 17 members who attended did not vote at all. The nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers was struck on July 14 after almost two years of <g data-gr-id="15">diplomacy</g> but lawmakers in US and Tehran insisted on voting on it.
The deal, which will lift nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its atomic activities – the Islamic republic denies seeking a bomb – has received a rocky ride in the US and Iran. Members of the US Congress failed in September to torpedo the deal. And in Tehran ultraconservative lawmakers repeatedly warned of holes in the text of the agreement and criticised President Hassan Rouhani for suggesting MPs were deliberately delaying the deal.