Motahari said since the aim was to harass Rouhani’s government, they insisted on having the JCPOA approved by the parliament as well.
Probably many untold stories remain about the behind-the-scenes pressure on Rouhani’s government, aimed at discouraging voters from any reforms and reformists and moderates, and some of them are unlikely to ever be revealed.
In this situation, the deputy speaker of the tenth parliament wrote that in 2015, when the JCPOA was about to be signed, there was pressure from inside and outside the parliament that it should be approved by the parliament. We said this is a joint action agreement between the Iranian government and the P5+1 countries and does not need approval. None of the opposing countries took it to their parliaments either. But since the aim was to strike and harass the previous government and its negotiators, the order eventually came that the parliament should also review and approve it.
Ali Motahari continued, the national TV broadcasted the sessions of this commission, which were filled with attacks and insults towards the government and the foreign minister, live for about a month.
He added, this is a clear example of double standards; in one government, the JCPOA must be reviewed in parliament and the government is insulted for a month, while in another government, there’s no need for the JCPOA and its additions to be reviewed in parliament.