TEHRAN – Iran’s parliament on Sunday decided to suspend debates on joining the convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) for two months until negotiations with the European Union on the fate of the 2015 nuclear agreement becomes clear.

The decision came after 50 MPs issued a statement calling for suspending discussion on the bill for two months.

138 out of 253 MPs present in the parliament voted in favor of the proposal and 6 parliamentarians voted against.

Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani told the open session of the parliament that the administration agreed with the suspension.

Reformist MP Gholamreza Tajgardoon said that the decision will provide the administration with an opportunity to announce to Europe that it should give essential guarantees to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal.

“The administration will have two months to negotiate with Europe,” Tajgardoon said.

On May 8, U.S. President Donald Trump officially withdrew from the UN-endorsed nuclear agreement and plans to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

Iran has warned the remaining parties to the nuclear agreement – the European Union, E3 (Germany, France and Britain), Russia and China – that if its interests are not guaranteed it will not remain in the deal.

‘Iran’s interests will be protected if it joins CFT’

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in his speech at the parliament that the country’s interests will be protected if it joins the CFT.

“In this critical situation, it will serve the country’s national interests to join this convention,” he said.

He noted that there are mechanisms to leave the convention if Iran’s interests are jeopardized and that no country can question national sovereignty.

“It has been for two years that the bill has been discussed at the Supreme National Security Council, Intelligence Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and at the end the Supreme National Security Council said that there will be no problem given the country’s conditions,” Araqchi stated.

NA/PA