A conservative watchdog in Iran overseeing legislation has once again refused to approve a new law that would grant citizenship to children of Iranian mothers.
Current law only grants citizenship to children of Iranian fathers and foreign mothers, but there has been a push in recent years to give the same privilege to Iranian women married to foreigners.
Parliament has passed a law, which according to Iran’s constitution must receive the approval of the Guardian Council (GC), a body currently stacked with conservatives.
The Council’s spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaee said on Saturday that GC in principle does not oppose the law but objects to its security measure. Apparently, the Council is demanding more stringent background checks, which could ultimately limit the number of individuals benefiting from the law, or making the process cumbersome.
The law passed earlier this year by parliament would allow mothers to apply for the citizenship of children younger than eighteen while those who are older can apply on their own.
