The Iranian parliament has given its approval to the deal Tehran reached with world powers over its nuclear program, state media reported.
Lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday allowing the Iranian government to implement the agreement, with 161 voting in favor, 56 against and 13 abstentions, the state run news agency IRNA reported.
Under the deal, international sanctions on Iran will be lifted in return for restrictions on its nuclear program aimed at preventing it from being able to develop an atomic bomb.
The agreement — reached in July by top negotiators from Iran, the United States, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom — has faced opposition from some quarters, notably the Israeli government and U.S. Republicans.
The Republican efforts to obstruct the deal in Congress have failed, and the congressional review period for it ended last month.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed the historic agreement won’t change his government’s stance toward the United States after decades of hostility and distrust.
In an indication of the ongoing tensions between the two countries, an Obama administration official told CNN on Monday that Iran’s test over the weekend of a new surface-to-surface ballistic missilewas likely to have violated a U.N. resolution.
