Will new chairman of Iranian foreign policy panel set fire to nuclear deal?

Amid concerns about the fate of the 2015 nuclear deal, prominent hard-line member of parliament Mojtaba Zonnour, known for his harsh positions against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has been elected chairman of Iran’s parliamentary foreign policy commission, raising concerns about additional pressures on the moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani.

On June 23, following the formation of a coalition between hard-liners and members of parliament close to Speaker Ali Larijani, Zonnour replaced moderate Hesmatollah Falahatpishe, whose statements during his one-year chairmanship had raised eyebrows among conservatives.

Falahatpishe suggested May 17 that Iran and the United States establish a “red desk” in Iraq or Qatar for controlling and managing the tensions between Tehran and Washington. This was a proposal reminiscent of the "red phone" hotline between Moscow and Washington to decrease tensions and prevent accidental nuclear wars between the two countries. He also tweeted May 8 that turning the negotiations with the United States into a taboo has caused Tehran’s national interest to be determined by the “inept” European governments.

Falahatpishe, a professor of international relations, now becomes just a regular member of the foreign policy commission, relinquishing the chairmanship to a fervent supporter of the JCPOA’s destruction.