Leader’s aide hopes for reaching ‘reasonable solution’ to FATF case
Ali Larijani, an advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and a member of Iran’s Expediency Council, expressed hope for reaching a reasonable solution to two conventions of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) after the council had decided to re-examine them two weeks earlier.
Larijani said a joint committee had been formed within the Expediency Council to review the anti-money laundering and terrorism financing conventions adopted by the FATF.
He made the remarks during a visit to IRNA on Saturday.
Larijani, who served as parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020, said the council’s members have different views on the issue. However, he hoped that the final decision will benefit the country and the members reach a reasonable solution in this regard.
Back in January 12, the Expediency Council began to revisit various clauses of the Palermo and the Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) conventions after Iran’s Economy Minister Abdolnasser Hemmati said in December that the country’s top leadership had allowed renewed discussions on FATF conventions in the council several years after the body stopped such debates fearing that the conventions may undermine Iran’s financial independence.
FATF restrictions imposed on Iran’s banking system will be removed once the country enacts the Palermo and CFT conventions.
The Iranian parliament has approved both but Iran’s Guardian Council, which is responsible for vetting parliament legislation, has refused to ratify them, citing the need for some amendments.
Iran has ratified other conventions and regulations adopted by the FATF.
The renewed push to examine Iran’s full accession to the FATF comes amid efforts by President Masoud Pezeshkian and his administration to open up to the world and to improve an economy affected by global inflation and foreign sanctions.
In his presidential election campaign in mid-summer, Pezeshkian criticized the lack of action on FATF issues.