The Iranian parliament's ratification of a new bill expanding Iran's nuclear program reflects growing pressure by Iranian hawks on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and their expectation of early engagement with the incoming Biden administration to address bilateral issues. Conservatives and hard-liners who have led parliament since February 2020 elections secured passage of the bill less than a week after the assassination of Mohsen Fakrizadeh , but its rapid approval and minor modifications by the Guardian Council suggest that conservative factions are seeking to weaken their moderate rivals ahead of June presidential elections, assessing that any suspension of long-standing sanctions will demonstrate to voters that a more hard-line strategy was successful.