Expediency Council: Iran's Accession Bill to the Convention Against Organized Crime Has Issues

One day after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) removed Iran from its 'blacklist' for another three months, the Expediency Council of Iran announced on Saturday, July 9, that some clauses of the bill for Iran's accession to the Convention Against Organized Crime are incompatible with 'resilient economy.' The 'High Supervisory Board for the Implementation of General Policies of the System' is a group that began its work in the Expediency Council at the directive of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic last October. According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, this board requested the Parliament to clarify the 'ambiguities' in its resolution so that it can declare the compatibility of this resolution with the 'general policies of the system.' The board also announced that in the next meeting, the 'compatibility' of this bill with the 'general policies of national security of the system' will be examined. According to the Supreme Leader's directives, the Speaker of the Parliament is obliged to send a copy of the drafts and bills to the Expediency Council for the High Supervisory Board's information. Based on these directives, if the Expediency Council deems a bill contrary to the 'general policies of the system,' it raises the issue of 'incompatibility' in the Parliament's commissions, and ultimately, 'if incompatibility remains in the Parliament's final resolution,' the Guardian Council 'will act based on the Expediency Council's opinion.' The issues raised by the High Supervisory Board regarding the bill for Iran's accession to the Convention Against Organized Crime come at a time when this bill was re-approved by the Parliament after some objections from the Guardian Council and sent to this council for confirmation. This bill is one of four bills related to the FATF regulations in Iran. The FATF was established in 1989 and monitors international standards against money laundering and terrorist financing. Previously, several members of Parliament, including Alireza Beigi, quoted Abbas Araghchi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, stating that although the implementation of FATF regulations does not have a direct connection to the JCPOA, European 'assistance' in new negotiations with Iran depends on the implementation of these regulations. The FATF, which combats money laundering globally, announced on Friday, July 8, that Iran has until this autumn to make reforms that comply with global norms and rules in this area; otherwise, it must accept the consequences, including the withdrawal of investors from investing in this country. Iran's accession to the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism is also shrouded in ambiguity. The bill for Iran's accession to the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism is one of the four bills related to the implementation of the FATF regulations, and the Supreme Leader's statements have created ambiguity regarding its approval in Parliament. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for the abandonment of these bills on the last day of Khordad and urged the Iranian Parliament to independently legislate its laws regarding money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism. Mohammad Ali Vakili, a member of the Parliament's presiding board, has reported that Hassan Rouhani and Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, are scheduled to meet with Mr. Khamenei regarding this matter. Meanwhile, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, stated that this commission will present its report on this bill by July 15. The Parliament voted on Khordad 20 with 138 votes in favor and 103 votes against to remain silent on this bill for two months. One of the reasons opponents of joining the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism in Iran cite is the blockage of financial assistance to 'Hamas' and 'Hezbollah,' two groups that the U.S. and several other countries consider 'terrorist.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry has rejected this claim, and supporters of Iran's accession to this treaty argue that its opponents fear economic transparency and preventing banking corruption.