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Islamic Consultative Assembly

Legislative body of Iran

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History

Islamic Republic of Iran

Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Senate of Iran was abolished and effectively succeeded by the Guardian Council, maintaining the bicameral structure of the Iranian legislature. In the 1989 constitutional revision, the National Consultative Assembly was renamed the Islamic Consultative Assembly.

Since the Iranian Revolution, the Parliament of Iran has been led by six chairmen. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani served as the inaugural chairman from 1980 to 1989. Subsequently, Mehdi Karroubi held the position in two separate terms (1989–1992 and 2000–2004), followed by Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri (1992–2000), Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel (2004–2008), Ali Larijani (2008–2020), and, since 2020, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Throughout its history, the parliament's character has evolved from being a "debating chamber for notables" to a "club for the shah's placemen" during the Pahlavi era. In the era of the Islamic Republic, it has shifted to being a body primarily influenced by members of the "propertied middle class."

2017 attack

On 7 June 2017, there were shootings at the Iranian parliament and at the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini. Gunmen opened fire at the Iranian Parliament and the mausoleum of religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran. The attack on the mausoleum reportedly left 17 persons dead and more than 30 people injured. The parliament was attacked by four gunmen which left seven to eight people injured. Both attacks took place around the same time and appear to have been coordinated.

2026 shutdown and claimed coup d'état

In 2026, the parliament was shut down following the outbreak of the Iran war. Ayatallah Nabavian, the national security commissioner, claimed that a coup d'état was in progress. There were plans to reopen the parliament after 9 July, but it remained shut down, as reported by an MP, due to the government wanting to prevent interference with negotiations with the United States over the Islamabad Memorandum.

After 137 days, it conducted a nightly session, and its members approved of a motion permitting future sessions to be held by teleconference. They also suspended Iran's commitments to the Memorandum and called for revenge over Ali Khamenei's assassination. The National Security Commission called for the deaths of American leaders, the development of nuclear weapons, and the expansion of the war. The parliament appointed Ebrahim Azizi as the new chief of the Commission, and Abas Moghtadae as deputy..

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