Khamenei Has Not Provided Opinion on Anti-Terror Financing Bill

Following criticism from several principlist representatives regarding the bill "Iran's Accession to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism" and tensions in the parliament over this matter, the Speaker of Parliament announced that the Supreme Leader has "not provided an opinion" on this bill. According to IRNA news agency, Ali Larijani emphasized during the open session on Tuesday, May 21, that Ayatollah Khamenei believes that the parliament and the government should decide on this bill themselves. The government of Hassan Rouhani states that this bill and three related bills aim for "banking transparency and discipline" and "alignment with the regulations and standards of world banks," but opponents argue that the approval of these bills will prevent Iran from financially supporting groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and armed Palestinian groups. Several principlist representatives have called for a six-month halt to the review of the bill "Iran's Accession to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism" until the outcome of negotiations between Iran and Europe regarding the fate of the JCPOA is determined. Meanwhile, according to ISNA news agency, during the parliamentary session on Tuesday, some members of the Stability Front shouted loudly demanding the cessation of the bill's consideration, creating a tense atmosphere in the parliament for several minutes. According to this report, Hossein Ali Hajideligani, Ahmad Azadikhah, Abbas Goudarzi, Mohammad Javad Abtahi, and Nader Qazipour held placards labeling this bill as "colonial." In response to these protests, Ali Larijani stated, "You cannot impose your opinions by force. If you have criticism and objections, let them be discussed." The Islamic Consultative Assembly also held a closed session on Sunday, May 19, regarding four controversial bills related to the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regulations, attended by several senior security and executive officials. Three bills, namely "Accession to the Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism," "Amendment of the Anti-Money Laundering Law," and "Amendment of the Anti-Terror Financing Law," are currently under review in the Iranian parliament. After this session, Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, quoted Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, stating that the issues with these bills have been resolved with the cooperation of the Research Center of the Parliament, the Supreme National Security Council, "and even communication with the Leader's office." The "bill to join the Convention against Organized Crime (Palermo)" has also been approved in parliament but has been returned by the Guardian Council for amendments. Opponents of these bills in parliament are concerned about the difficulties Iran may face in financially supporting groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and armed Palestinian groups following the approval of these bills. Hezbollah in Lebanon is recognized as a "terrorist group" by the United States, the Netherlands, the Arab League, and Israel, while the European Union has classified its military wing as "terrorist." Hamas is listed as a "terrorist group" by the United States, Canada, and Israel, and the EU also considers its military wing as "terrorist." Iran has been on the Financial Action Task Force's blacklist since 2009, but this group, which aims to combat money laundering and terrorist financing globally, has suspended some of its restrictions against Iran in the past two years. The opposition of several parliament members to the review of these bills comes as the Research Center of the Iranian Parliament recently reported that, according to the Basel Committee's assessment, Iran, along with "a few other limited countries, has the worst situation regarding the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing." According to this report, in 2016, Iran was "at the top of the countries attractive for money laundering and the riskiest country, with a worse ranking than countries like Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Afghanistan." The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), which provides services to central banks, consists of committees, one of the most important being the Basel Committee, which provides a set of guidelines in the field of risk management for banks. The Financial Action Task Force was established in 1989 and controls international standards against money laundering and the financing of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.