Hossein Sheikholeslam, director-General of the Iranian parliament for International Affairs. Photo: Screenshot.

JNS.org – The Iranian parliament in a 161-59 vote with 13 abstentions approved an amended version of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and the P5+1 world powers in July.

However, the bill passed by parliament insisted that international inspectors would only have limited access to nuclear sites.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the vote a “historic decision” and the bill now moves to the Guardian Council, a clerical body dominated by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

However, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the Iranian parliament did not pass the actual Iranian nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but an amended version of it that called that included new demands on sanctions removal.

“It was not a ratification of the JCPOA as it stands, but rather of additional demands made by Iran after the JCPOA was agreed upon on July 14, 2015 in Vienna,” the MEMRI report said.

“The Majlis [Iranian parliament] decision defines clauses in the JCPOA as “non-performance of the agreement by the other party” and therefore the Majlis’ approval is meaningless.”