Kamran Ghazanfari, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Iran’s parliament, issued a statement announcing that a group of lawmakers intends to go to the parliament building at 8:00 AM on Sunday, June 28. He stated that if parliament remains closed, they will stage a sit-in on the premises until it is reopened.
In the statement addressed to the “noble nation of Iran,” he wrote that a group of MPs would stage a sit-in outside the parliament building, if necessary, to protest the continued closure of parliament’s open sessions.
Before this, Hamid Rasaei, another member of parliament, had criticized the ongoing closure of the legislature during an informal webinar session of the legislative branch. He stated that after a four-month closure of the open floor, a formal session of parliament was expected to be held.
Rasaei also remarked that the webinar’s agenda was irrelevant to the “most critical issue of the country today,” namely the negotiations and the memorandum of understanding. Emphasizing the status of parliament, he asked, “Who has the power to shut down parliament?” and added, “Can the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council gag members of parliament?”
Referring to the negotiations in Switzerland and the continued shutdown of parliament, the lawmaker stated: “Right now, Mr. Qalibaf’s hand is in the hand of America’s [JD] Vance, and you have made peace; so why do you not reopen parliament?” Rasaei also announced that next week, along with any lawmakers who wish to join, he will go to parliament at 8:00 AM, and if the building is still closed, they will hold a session “by the roadside and in the presence of the people.”
