Ali Shamkhani: The National Security Council's Summary on FATF is Positive

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council has stated that this council has reached a 'positive summary' regarding cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and this summary will be implemented after the approval of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. On Wednesday, September 24, Ali Shamkhani mentioned in an interview with reporters that the summary of the Supreme National Security Council is still in the stage of approval and signature by the Leader of Iran, and therefore he cannot provide more details on the matter. The implementation of regulations related to the anti-money laundering working group has reportedly caused restrictions on banking services to certain entities affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), leading to criticism from media and conservative figures who have interpreted such restrictions as 'self-sanctioning.' In this context, some members of parliament have stated that if FATF regulations are implemented, Iran will recognize groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic groups as 'terrorist groups' from 2018 onwards. These remarks have also been referenced by some Friday prayer leaders, including Ahmad Jannati in Tehran, who accused the government of 'secretly signing' a document that he claims is 'against the interests of the nation.' The Secretary of the Guardian Council also urged the parliament not to remain silent on this issue and to exercise its oversight. However, Ali Shamkhani emphasized the 'central role' of the parliament in the country, responding to a question about the necessity of FATF approval in parliament by stating that 'some hold such an opinion,' but 'the parliament will do its job, and the Supreme National Security Council will do its job.' He also noted that 'the more consensus there is on this treaty, the fewer problems it will have in the future.' On Wednesday, news agencies IRNA and Fars reported that Shamkhani stated he had 'heard nothing' regarding his upcoming explanation to parliament on this matter next Tuesday. Earlier, Behrouz Namati, the spokesperson for the parliament's presiding board, had told Young Journalists Club that 'no request for a report on the FATF issue has been made by the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council to the parliament, and any possibility of holding this session in parliament is not true.' After Iranian Central Bank officials reached an agreement with the FATF called the 'action plan' regarding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism, this international group, which operates to combat money laundering, announced in early July that it had suspended the restrictions on Iran's banking system for 12 months. However, shortly after this agreement, Abbas Araghchi, the Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, emphasized that Iran will not sacrifice Hezbollah for anything. He stated that 'according to the anti-terrorism financing law passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, groups that engage in anti-colonial and anti-racist activities are not considered terrorist groups, and the designation of terrorist groups is the responsibility of the Supreme National Security Council.'