Government Spokesperson Says FATF Case Returns to Expediency Council by Khamenei's 'Order'

The spokesperson of the Islamic Republic government announced today at a press conference that the review of the status of the approval of bills related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has returned to the Expediency Council 'with the coordination of the branches' and 'the order' of Ali Khamenei. Fatemeh Mohajerani expressed hope that 'with the wisdom present in the Council,' they could bring this matter to a conclusion. Members of the Expediency Council, appointed by Khamenei, have reviewed this issue several times in recent years but have not reached an agreement, effectively leaving the case dormant. Previously, in mid-October of this year, the Minister of Economy of the Islamic Republic wrote on the filtered social network X that 'I presented a report on the current status and necessary actions for normalizing Iran's case in FATF to the President.' Abdolnaser Hemmati also claimed that 'these actions are different from what is said in the media.' Hemmati also, without mentioning the role of regional policies and the Islamic Republic's support for terrorist groups in placing Iran on the FATF blacklist, stated that this report was prepared considering 'the repeated efforts of the enemies of the country to create financial restrictions for Iran, which is one of the influential aspects of sanctions against Iran.' This government effort comes as in July of this year, the FATF announced the continued presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, North Korea, and Myanmar on its blacklist, and noted Iran's refusal to ratify the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo Convention) and the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism according to its standards, fully lifting its suspension of countermeasures and calling on countries worldwide to take effective countermeasures against the Islamic Republic. According to the latest statement issued by the FATF, the Islamic Republic will remain on the blacklist of this organization, which monitors countries and jurisdictions' actions to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, until the completion of its action plan. The FATF blacklist currently consists of three governments: the Islamic Republic of Iran, North Korea, and Myanmar, which have major governance deficiencies in combating money laundering, financing terrorism, and financing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Ahmad Alavi: The Islamic Republic will remain on the FATF blacklist. The government's treasury balance is $170 million; a financial crisis has arrived. Examining the contradictions in the behavior of Behdarvand; from justice-oriented campaign promises to lamentation and emphasis on the previous government's policies. A member of the Chamber of Commerce: The key to developing trade with Iraq is exiting the FATF blacklist. FATF: The Islamic Republic of Iran will remain on the 'blacklist.' The Financial Action Task Force: Iran remains on the 'blacklist' while the UAE exits the 'grey list.'