The Majlis defeated a bill Sunday that would have given Iranian citizenship to the children of Iranian mothers but non-Iranian fathers.
The legislation was not aimed at Iranian-Americans with Iranian mothers but American fathers. Rather, the issue was Iranian women who have married Afghans living in Iran, a marital arrangement frowned upon by many in Iran.
The children of such couples live in Iran with no citizenship status whatsoever and with no Iranian government identification. That means they often are denied access to health care, schooling and other social benefits in Iran.
The Majlis vote was taken with only 198 of the 290 deputies present, or just over two-thirds attendance. The balloting was 74 votes to grant such children citizenship to 84 votes opposed with 12 abstentions and 28 attending but not bothering to vote.
A spokesman for the Majlis Social Committee said it is estimated that there are 1 million such stateless children living in Iran, or more than 1 percent of the resident population.