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15 J. Int'l Arb. 5 (1998)
New International Commercial Arbitration Act of Iran - Towards Harmony with the UNICTRAL Model Law, The

handle is hein.kluwer/jia0015 and id is 115 raw text is: Journal of International Arbitration 15(2): 5-35, 1998. 0 1998 Kluwer Law International. Printed in Great Britain. The New International Commercial Arbitration Act of Iran Towards Harmony with the UNCITRAL Model Law Jamal SEIFI* I. PRELIMINARY REMARKS A. INTRODUCTION On 17 September 1997, the Iranian Parliament (the Majlis) finally adopted the text of the International Commercial Arbitration Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act).1 As a general rule,2 the Act became effective 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette. It is hoped that the adoption of the Act will facilitate the conduct of international arbitrations in Iran by guaranteeing a greater degree of liberty and autonomy for international arbiirations and by securing stronger prospects for the recognition and enforcement of international arbitral awards rendered in Iran. The Act is, to a considerable extent, modelled on the 1985 United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. However, certain provisions of the Act do not exactly reflect the UNCITRAL Model Law in its entirety and instead are adapted to local requirements. The intention is that the Act will provide a better and updated regulation of arbitration than the existing provisions in Articles 632-676 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPc) of Iran. The latter will remain in force and applicable in purely domestic arbitrations. The aim of the Act is to provide a reliable mechanism for the settlement of disputes in the context of the growing commercial relations within the States of the region, including the newly independent States of Central Asia. It is also expected that the Act will be supplemented and its application facilitated by the establishment of an international arbitration centre in Iran. * Dr SJ. Seifi, Member of the Iranian Bar; Assistant Professor of Law; Fellow of die Institute of Arbitrators, L.C. Int. Arb. I Iranian Official Gazette, No. 15335, dated 20 October 1997, at pp. 1-4. 2 As provided in art. 2 of the Civil Code of Iran. Copyright © 2007 by Kluwer Law International. All rights reserved. No claim asserted to original government works.