Shahrzadnews: According to Article 987 of Iranian civil law, a woman must get state consent before marrying a foreign national. Failure to do so means the marriage is illegal, and she, her husband and their children will forfeit their civil rights.
Though the Majles passed the law some time ago, it has met with widespread defiance from many Iranian women in such marriages, and is disputed by the country’s lawmakers.
Spokesman for the Majles’ legal committee Mohammad Ali Esfenani commented on the parliamentary website: “We already have over 1600 definitions for crimes in this country, and the offence of defying Article 987 can’t possibly be added to the list. Prosecuting such women is not a valid option.”
On the same website however, chief high court judge Mousa Qurbani said: “Women who fail to get permission before marrying a foreign national are committing an offence and will be prosecuted.”
