Iran’s 12th Parliament inaugurated
Iranian lawmakers take oath during the inauguration session for the new Parliament in Tehran on May 27, 2024.
ALI SHARIFZADEH/IRNA
Iran’s 12th Parliament was officially inaugurated on Monday with a message of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
In his message, the Leader stressed the importance of continuing and strengthening “religious democracy”, describing it as a “big divine gift” to the Iranian nation.
Ayatollah Khamenei said each member of the parliament is a representative of the entire nation which means that the main work of the lawmakers is to secure the country’s national interests.
Iran’s acting President Mohammad Mokhber also addressed the parliament in his first public speech since May 19’s helicopter crash that killed his predecessor and seven others.
His speech came as Iran prepares for a presidential election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi in just a month.
In his remarks, Mokhber praised Raisi’s time in office, noting that Iran’s crude oil production—a key source of hard currency for the country — climbed to more than 3.6 million barrels a day. That comes after Oil Minister Javad Owji said Sunday that Iran was now exporting around 2 million barrels a day, despite Western sanctions targeting the Islamic
Republic.
Mokhber also asserted that the country’s economy remained stable under Raisi when Iran took military actions in Iraq, Israel and Pakistan in recent months.
Many high-ranking Iranian officials as well as foreign guests attended the opening ceremony during which the new parliamentarians took oath.
Iranians elected 290 members of the parliament in two rounds of the elections which were held on March 1 and May 10.
Iran announced a turnout of 41 percent in the parliamentary elections.