Nobakht: Friday Prayer Leaders Should Respect the National Security Council's Decisions

After criticisms were raised regarding the implementation of the anti-money laundering task force regulations by Friday prayer leaders in several cities, the spokesperson for President Hassan Rouhani's government responded by saying, "It is expected that discussions raised in the National Security Council are respected from the Friday prayer pulpits." The implementation of regulations related to the anti-money laundering task force, which according to some media has led to restrictions on banking services to certain entities affiliated with the IRGC, has drawn criticism from media and conservative figures, who have interpreted such restrictions as "self-sanctioning." This issue was mentioned in the Friday prayers on September 9, where Ahmad Jannati in Tehran stated that this agreement would lead to "internal sanctions" on entities like the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, affiliated with the IRGC, and added that "the parliament should not remain silent on this matter" and must exercise its oversight. Jannati claimed that "87 individuals and entities" would be sanctioned under the FATF agreement, and the government must explain "with what audacity it signed a document contrary to the interests of the nation in secret." The Secretary of the Guardian Council also emphasized that "in any case, this matter will be prevented" and added, "There should be a lesson for them to consider God, the revolution, and the oversight of the people before doing anything they want." Similar statements were reported from Asadollah Imani, the Friday prayer leader of Shiraz, and Ahmad Alam al-Huda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad. On Tuesday, September 23, in response to such statements, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the spokesperson for Rouhani's government, said, "So far, many explanations regarding ambiguities and accusations have been presented by government officials, especially the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance... and we expect promotion of piety, religion, and ethics from the Friday prayer pulpits; it is expected that discussions raised in the National Security Council are also respected." Nobakht added that "the complete discussion of these matters belongs in the National Security Council, and sometimes in the media and pulpits, some officials are forced to provide explanations that are not appropriate to be discussed at the media level." He continued without providing further details: "Some discussions should not be heard by enemies, but sometimes a situation arises where stating the facts leads to misuse by the media of hostile foreign countries." "We accept conditions that are constitutional" Some other criticisms regarding the implementation of anti-money laundering regulations relate to how Iran supports jihadist organizations after this agreement is implemented. In this context, some parliament representatives have stated that if the FATF regulations are implemented, Iran will recognize groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic groups as "terrorist groups" from 2018 onwards. However, the spokesperson for Rouhani's government emphasized that Iran accepts "conditions" in this document that are "within the framework" of the Islamic Republic's constitution, and "the constitution provides a clear explanation regarding liberation movements." Nobakht added, "We were on the blacklist with North Korea and are now out of this list and in a state of suspension. No agreement has been made in this regard, but it has been stated that any agreement within the framework of the constitution is respected by us." This explanation was previously provided by the Iranian High Anti-Money Laundering Council in a statement released on Tuesday, September 6. On June 24, 2016, the FATF announced that the restrictions on the monetary and financial system of this institution on Iran's banking system had been suspended for 12 months. This action followed an agreement between Iranian central bank officials and the FATF on an agreement called "action plan" regarding anti-money laundering and combating terrorism. However, shortly after this understanding, Abbas Araghchi, the legal and international deputy of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, emphasized that Iran would not sacrifice Hezbollah for anything. He stated that "according to the anti-terrorism financing law, approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, groups that engage in anti-colonial and anti-racist activities are not considered terrorist groups, and the determination of terrorist groups is with the National Security Council." 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