Iran parliament confirms election of speaker for 1 year term

TEHRAN: Iran's parliament has confirmed the re-election of its long-serving parliament speaker for another year.

The 59-year-old Ali Larijani's election marks an early victory for the moderate conservatives in the new parliament, which convened for the first time over the weekend.

State TV says that in Tuesday's vote, Larijani won 237 votes in his favor, out of 276 lawmakers present in the 290-seat house.

On Sunday, he was voted as interim speaker, pending the verification of the credentials of new parliament members.

Both the moderate conservatives and the reformists, who won a majority in the parliamentary elections earlier this year, support President Hassan Rouhani and the landmark nuclear deal reached last year with world powers.