Kharrazi: New Conditions for Acceptance of FATF Approved by National Security Council

The head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations announced that the Supreme National Security Council has approved 'new conditions' for accepting the standards of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and a member of parliament has stated that a bill requiring the government to obtain parliamentary approval in this regard will be submitted to the parliamentary leadership. According to Tasnim News Agency, Kamal Kharrazi announced on Saturday, September 17, that the Supreme National Security Council addressed the issue of accepting the FATF standards and has established 'new conditions' regarding this matter. Kharrazi stated that membership in the FATF agreement would 'facilitate' Iran's relations with the world and that there is no issue with accepting this agreement based on Iran's anti-money laundering laws. He added, 'At the same time, officials in this area must be vigilant that the other party does not exploit the wording of contracts that are arranged between Iran and them.' Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, stated on Wednesday, September 14, that the council reached a 'positive conclusion' regarding cooperation with the FATF, and this conclusion will be implemented after approval by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. In this context, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government's spokesman, also requested on Tuesday, September 13, that the criticisms from Friday prayer leaders regarding this agreement should 'respect the discussions raised in the Supreme National Security Council.' In response, the Council of Friday Prayer Leaders of Iran announced that the Friday prayer leaders will not wait for government permission for their 'good-natured warnings.' Besides the Friday prayer leaders, some other close associates of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, including Gholamali Haddad Adel, advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, and Hossein Shariatmadari, representative of the Supreme Leader in the Kayhan newspaper, have strongly opposed this agreement. Ahmad Jannati, Secretary of the Guardian Council, even predicted on Friday, September 10, that there would be 'obstruction' in the implementation of this agreement. Meanwhile, Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, stated on Saturday that the independence of the country should not be questioned in international transactions. He emphasized that regarding the FATF standards agreement, 'the question arises whether accepting this treaty affects our independence or not?' Previously, the Supreme Anti-Money Laundering Council of Iran had issued a statement rejecting all criticisms raised against the Islamic Republic's joining the FATF, announcing that any interaction with the FATF would be conducted 'within the framework of the country's constitution and with respect to the interests of the system.' Ali Tayebnia, Iran's Minister of Economy, also stated that without cooperation with the FATF, even with the lifting of nuclear sanctions, there would still be no possibility for international banking exchanges for Iran. However, on Saturday, Mohammad Reza Pourabedini, head of the Economic Commission of the Parliament, announced that an urgent bill 'requiring the government to obtain parliamentary approval in implementing the FATF will be submitted to the parliamentary leadership next week.' He told the IRIB News Agency that the conclusion of various meetings and reports is that the FATF is a binding commitment and must be approved by the parliament according to Articles 77 and 125 of the Constitution. Previously, two other parliament members, Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker, and Bahram Parsaei, spokesman for the Hope faction, had assessed the motives behind the opposition to this agreement as 'political purposes' and 'government sabotage.' After the Central Bank officials of Iran reached an agreement with the FATF called the 'Action Plan' regarding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism measures, this international group, which operates to combat money laundering, announced in early July that the restrictions on the monetary and financial system of this institution on Iran's banking system would be suspended for 12 months. However, shortly after this understanding, Abbas Araqchi, Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, emphasized that Iran would not sacrifice Hezbollah for anything. Despite these statements from government officials, some parliament members have stated that if the FATF regulations are implemented, Iran will recognize groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas as 'terrorist groups' from 2018 onwards.