diff --git a/frontends/parsers/p4/p4parser.ypp b/frontends/parsers/p4/p4parser.ypp
index 74d4b2852cf..229c0abc4a5 100644
--- a/frontends/parsers/p4/p4parser.ypp
+++ b/frontends/parsers/p4/p4parser.ypp
@@ -289,16 +289,16 @@ using namespace P4;
 %type<IR::IndexedVector<IR::Declaration_ID>> identifierList
 %type<IR::SelectCase*>      selectCase
 %type<IR::Vector<IR::SelectCase>> selectCaseList
-%type<IR::Statement*>       statement emptyStatement returnStatement
+%type<IR::Statement*>       statement parserStatement emptyStatement returnStatement
                             switchStatement exitStatement
-                            assignmentOrMethodCallStatement conditionalStatement
+                            assignmentOrMethodCallStatement conditionalStatement parserConditionalStatement
                             assignmentOrMethodCallStatementWithoutSemicolon
                             forStatement breakStatement continueStatement
 %type<IR::BlockStatement*>  blockStatement parserBlockStatement controlBody
                             optObjInitializer
-%type<IR::StatOrDecl*>      statementOrDeclaration parserStatement
+%type<IR::StatOrDecl*>      statementOrDeclaration parserStatementOrDeclaration
                             declOrAssignmentOrMethodCallStatement
-%type<IR::IndexedVector<IR::StatOrDecl>>  objDeclarations statOrDeclList parserStatements
+%type<IR::IndexedVector<IR::StatOrDecl>>  objDeclarations statOrDeclList parserStatOrDeclList
                             forInitStatements forInitStatementsNonEmpty
                             forUpdateStatements forUpdateStatementsNonEmpty
 %type<IR::SwitchCase*>      switchCase
@@ -859,29 +859,41 @@ parserStates
 
 parserState
     : optAnnotations STATE name { driver.structure->pushContainerType($3, false); }
-      "{" parserStatements transitionStatement "}" {
+      "{" parserStatOrDeclList transitionStatement "}" {
                   driver.structure->pop();
                   $$ = new IR::ParserState(@3, std::move($3), std::move($1), std::move($6), $7); }
     ;
 
-parserStatements
-    : %empty                           { $$ = {}; }
-    | parserStatements parserStatement { ($$ = std::move($1)).push_back($2); $$.srcInfo = @1 + @2; }
-    ;
-
 parserStatement
     : assignmentOrMethodCallStatement { $$ = $1; }
     | emptyStatement                  { $$ = $1; }
-    | variableDeclaration             { $$ = $1; }
-    | constantDeclaration             { $$ = $1; }
     | parserBlockStatement            { $$ = $1; }
-    | conditionalStatement            { $$ = $1; }
+    | parserConditionalStatement      { $$ = $1; }
+    ;
+
+parserStatementOrDeclaration
+    : variableDeclaration             { $$ = $1; }
+    | constantDeclaration             { $$ = $1; }
+    | parserStatement                 { $$ = $1; }
+    ;
+
+parserStatOrDeclList
+    : %empty                                            { $$ = {}; }
+    | parserStatOrDeclList parserStatementOrDeclaration { ($$ = std::move($1)).push_back($2);
+                                                          $$.srcInfo = @1 + @2; }
     ;
 
 parserBlockStatement
-    : optAnnotations "{"    { driver.structure->pushNamespace(@2, false); }
-      parserStatements "}"  { driver.structure->pop();
-                              $$ = new IR::BlockStatement(@1+@5, std::move($1), std::move($4)); }
+    : optAnnotations "{"        { driver.structure->pushNamespace(@2, false); }
+      parserStatOrDeclList "}"  { driver.structure->pop();
+                                  $$ = new IR::BlockStatement(@1+@5, std::move($1), std::move($4)); }
+    ;
+
+parserConditionalStatement
+    : IF "(" expression ")" parserStatement                       %prec THEN
+        { $$ = new IR::IfStatement(@1, $3, $5, nullptr); }
+    | IF "(" expression ")" parserStatement ELSE parserStatement  %prec THEN
+        { $$ = new IR::IfStatement(@1, $3, $5, $7); }
     ;
 
 transitionStatement