Iranian parliament passes bill approving nuclear deal

DUBAI - Iran's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday supporting the government in implementing a nuclear deal with world powers, state news agency IRNA said, in a victory for the government over conservative opponents of the deal.

Some lawmakers have opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that President Hassan Rouhani's government reached with world powers on July 14, and Tuesday's vote removes a major obstacle to putting the agreement into practice.

However, the bill insists that international inspections of military sites under the nuclear pact should be approved by a top Iranian security body, leaving the possibility that disagreements could still arise.

"The bill to implement the JCPOA ... was passed in a public session on Tuesday with 161 votes in favour," IRNA said. There were 59 votes against and 13 abstentions.

The bill had passed a preliminary vote on Sunday by a smaller margin, and will now be submitted to a clerical body for final approval and passage into law.