IRNA - Iran’s Guardian Council, the legislative vetting body, ratified on Wednesday a government bill that allows children born to Iranian mothers and foreign fathers to obtain Iranian citizenship.

Guardian Council Spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai tweeted on Wednesday that the legislative vetting body ratified a bill that helps children born to Iranian mothers and foreign fathers adopt Iranian nationality.

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

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