A bill passed in the Iranian parliament outlining requirements for “how to hire individuals for sensitive positions” has sparked an outcry within the government and among lawyers and political analysts. Critics are incensed not only by the content of the bill, but also how it was passed. The text was approved May 24, in the final days of the previous, conservative-dominated legislature, but the Guardian Council, citing legal issues, rejected the measure June 12 and sent it back to the newly sworn in parliament for revisions on multiple clauses.

The bill banned people from 11 groups from appointment to sensitive positions. Among them are individuals who hold dual citizenship, have spied for foreigners or are suspected of having done so or are in contact with foreign nationals blacklisted by Iran's security and intelligence organizations.

The measure also obliged executive bodies to vet applicants for sensitive positions not only through the judiciary and the Intelligence Ministry but also the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The bill exempted from the proposed regulations entities operating under the supervision of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the judiciary as well as positions that constitutionally require specific procedures for appointment.

Controversy over dual nationals holding key posts began in 2011 after Mahmoud Reza Khavari, then-head of Melli Bank, fled to Canada after being implicated in a massive, 30 trillion rial ($1 billion) embezzlement scandal. Abbas Abdi, an Iranian political analyst, said cases such as Khavari's are the driving force behind such bills being passed in parliament.