Under the amendment, such naturalisation is only possible upon reaching 18 years of age and thus does not address childhood statelessness. In addition, the Act establishes difficult eligibility requirements for naturalisation, including the proof of father’s documents and proof of marriage, which excludes automatically children born out of wedlock.11 On this basis, the Committee recommended that Iran: review the provisions of the Act … and ensure that all children who are born to Iranian mothers, including children born out of wedlock, are entitled to Iranian citizenship on the same conditions as children born to Iranian fathers. The Committee also recommends that the State party provide information on the number of children born to Iranian mothers who have been naturalised in its next periodic report.12 18. In a recent development, President Hassan Rouhani’s cabinet drafted and proposed a bill to Parliament on 4 November 2018, that will allow Iranian mothers married to foreigners to apply for Iranian nationality for their children upon their birth. The bill received Parliamentary approval on 20 January 2019 and is awaiting approval of the Guardian Council.13 The spokesperson for the Legal Commission of the Parliament stated that: “According to this single article, the children of such marriages (either born before or after the adoption of this law) can acquire Iranian nationality at Iranian mother’s request before age of 18, and at their request above the age of 18. Iranian nationality will be granted if there is no security issue involved, which the Ministry of Intelligence will determine. The security verification should be carried out within 3 months and the police should proceed with the residence permit for the non-Iranian father. If there exists ambiguity, the relationship shall be proved by the court. The note to this article states if the applicant's parent is not alive or available, in the case of ambiguity, the relationship shall be proved to the court.” 14 19. As is evident from the above quote, while presenting an improvement, this law reform will still not eradicate gender discrimination in the law, nor guarantee the child’s right to acquire a nationality. Conditions such as those to establish that there is no security threat, and establishing the relationship between the parents, are particularly problematic in this regard. 11 CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4, para 45. Ibid, para 46. 13 Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency, 20 January 2019. http://www.icana.ir/Fa/News/415896 [Accessed March 09, 2019]. 14 Islamic Consultative Assemly News Agency, 20 January 2019. http://www.icana.ir/Fa/News/415896 [Accessed March 09, 2019]. 12 5