1st Iranian identity cards for children with foreign fathers

"Today, the first identity cards for children with Iranian mothers and foreign fathers were issued at the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dubai," said Alireza Mahmoudi, the caretaker of the Iranian Consulate General in Dubai.

"In accordance with the law approved by parliament, the process of obtaining a license and preparing the necessary technical basis for issuing the identity cards for the children of Iranian women married to foreign men were carried out."

Earlier in October, the Guardian Council – Iran's legislative vetting body- ratified a bill that allows children born to Iranian women and foreign men to obtain Iranian nationality.

The bill, passed by the Iranian parliament, was welcomed by international organizations such as the Human Rights Watch.

In Iran, nationality is passed down from father to child and not from the mother.

The Guardian Council had rejected the proposed legislation on security grounds, requiring changes that would allow background checks on foreign fathers. The parliament amended the bill to condition granting citizenship to children who have been found to not possess a security problem.

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