What is the Majlis?: Iran's 290-seat unicameral Parliament, formally the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Members serve four-year terms. Five seats are reserved for recognised religious minorities.
What did Ghalibaf say about US negotiations in April 2026?: On 20 April 2026 Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf publicly warned that continued concessions to Washington would amount to a 'table of surrender', breaking with the presidency's more conciliatory posture on the same day.Source: Lowdown update 75
Did Iran's parliament suspend IAEA cooperation?: Yes. On 11 April 2026 the Majlis voted 221-0 to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA. President Pezeshkian signed it into law. No inspections, no cameras, no monitoring.Source: Majlis / Lowdown update 57
Who is the Speaker of the Majlis?: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has held the speakership continuously since 2020 and was re-elected in May 2024 by 198 of 287 MPs present. He has been the hardest institutional voice of the 2026 war.
Is Iran leaving the Non-Proliferation Treaty?: A Majlis bill to withdraw Iran from the NPT was uploaded as priority legislation on 28 March 2026 and is still advancing. Withdrawal would make Iran only the second state after North Korea to leave the treaty.Source: Majlis
What did the Iranian parliament vote on the IAEA?: The Majlis voted 221-0 on 11 April 2026 to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA, which President Pezeshkian signed into law. Iran's nuclear programme went effectively dark to international inspectors.Source: event
Is Iran withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?: The Majlis filed NPT withdrawal legislation as priority on 28 March 2026. The bill has not yet passed into law but is advancing through the Parliament led by MP Malek Shariati.Source: Lowdown
What is Iran's Hormuz toll bill?: The Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee approved a bill on 30 March 2026 codifying a $2 million per-vessel Strait of Hormuz transit toll into Iranian domestic law, converting an IRGC enforcement measure into statute.Source: Lowdown
What did Iran's parliament vote 221-0 on in April 2026?: The Majlis voted 221-0 on 11 April 2026 to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA, which President Pezeshkian signed into law. It was the most consequential wartime parliamentary act: Iran's nuclear programme effectively went dark to international inspectors.Source: entity background
Is Iran's parliament trying to leave the NPT?: Yes. NPT withdrawal legislation was filed as priority on 28 March 2026 by MP Malek Shariati and continues advancing through the Majlis. It would strip all legal restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme if passed and approved by The Guardian Council.Source: entity background
Did Iran's parliament propose a bounty to kill President Trump?: Iran International reported on or around 15 May 2026 that the Majlis was reviewing a bill proposing a €50 million reward for killing President Trump. The report was not corroborated by Iranian state media (IRNA, Tasnim, Mehr News) and should be treated as opposition-source intelligence on hardliner domestic pressure rather than confirmed legislative action.Source: entity background
Who is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and what is his position on the Iran-US war?: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is the Speaker of Iran's Majlis, holding the position continuously since 2020. On 20 April 2026 he warned that concessions to Washington would amount to a 'table of surrender', publicly breaking with President Pezeshkian's more conciliatory posture on Ceasefire terms.Source: entity background
What is the Majlis and how does it differ from Iran's Supreme Leader?: The Majlis is Iran's 290-seat elected Parliament. It can pass legislation but The Guardian Council, appointed by the Supreme Leader, can veto any bill incompatible with Islamic law. In practice the Majlis is subordinate to the Supreme Leader on matters of state.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026
What laws has Iran passed about the Strait of Hormuz during the war?: The Majlis approved a Hormuz transit toll bill on 30 March 2026, now operationalised as the Persian Gulf Strait Authority. On 20 May, the National Security Committee passed an 11-article Strategic Action Plan mandating rial-only fees and banning hostile-nation vessels — internally contradicting the PGSA's yuan and Bitcoin channels.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026
Did Iran's parliament really vote to leave the nuclear treaty?: An NPT withdrawal bill was filed by MP Malek Shariati on 28 March 2026 as priority legislation. The Majlis also voted 221-0 on 11 April 2026 to suspend all IAEA cooperation, which President Pezeshkian signed into law. NPT withdrawal has not yet been passed into law.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026
Who is the speaker of Iran's parliament?: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has been speaker since 2020 and was re-elected in May 2024 by 198 of 287 MPs. He has been the hardest institutional voice on the war, warning that concessions amount to a 'table of surrender', yet also approved the draft MOU framework in late May 2026.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026
Can an Iran ceasefire undo the Majlis's wartime legislation?: No deal automatically repeals legislation. The IAEA suspension, Hormuz toll bill, and Strategic Action Plan are now statute. Reversing them would require fresh Majlis votes and Guardian Council approval, giving hardliners a veto over any government that tries to walk back wartime postures.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026

Background

The Islamic Consultative Assembly, known as the Majlis, is Iran's 290-seat elected Parliament. Members serve four-year terms and are pre-screened by the Guardian Council before standing for election. Under the doctrine of velayat-e faqih, the Majlis is formally subordinate to the Supreme Leader, and all legislation must pass The Guardian Council before taking effect. Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has held the speakership continuously since 2020 and was re-elected in May 2024 by 198 of 287 MPs present.

The Majlis has been the hardest institutional voice of the 2026 war. Its three most consequential wartime acts have been the 221-0 vote on 11 April 2026 to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA — which President Pezeshkian signed into law — the bill codifying the Strait of Hormuz transit toll into domestic statute, and the NPT withdrawal legislation filed by MP Malek Shariati on 28 March 2026. The Hormuz toll bill, approved by the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on 30 March 2026, is now operationalised as the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

On 20 May 2026, the Majlis National Security Committee passed an 11-article Strategic Action Plan for Hormuz and Persian Gulf Security, mandating rial-only passage fees, banning hostile-nation vessels, and requiring war-damage reparations — internally contradicting the PGSA's existing yuan and Bitcoin payment channels. On 20 April 2026, Speaker Ghalibaf warned that continued concessions would amount to a "table of surrender", publicly breaking with President Pezeshkian's more conciliatory posture, yet Pezeshkian signed the 221-0 IAEA suspension the same week. Both the IAEA suspension and the Hormuz toll bill encode wartime postures into durable statute, raising the cost for any future government seeking to reverse course. The speaker's approval of the draft MOU framework in late May — sitting alongside Ghalibaf's hawkish public statements — illustrates the Majlis's dual function: legislative ratchet and diplomatic back-channel simultaneously.