While First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref previously stated that Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf promised to remove the “Countering Foreign Influence Bill” from the parliamentary agenda, Deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad announced that Ghalibaf made no such promise and that no such agreement took place.
Speaking during Tuesday’s open session of Parliament on August 25, Nikzad responded to warnings raised by several MPs regarding Aref’s statements, noting that he met with Ghalibaf earlier that morning to address the matter. According to Nikzad, Ghalibaf explicitly emphasized that “he said no such thing” and gave no commitment to pull the bill from the floor.
The Deputy Speaker added that if lawmakers harbor objections or ambiguities regarding specific articles of the draft legislation, those points can be reviewed and referred back to the relevant committee for further examination.
Alireza Salimi, a member of the Presiding Board of Parliament, also criticized the administration’s stance during the open session, stating: “The government cannot dictate to Parliament what it should or should not pass.” He asserted that the administration’s role is strictly limited to drafting executive regulations for passed legislation without interfering in parliamentary affairs.
