Sadegh Larijani Responds to Rouhani's Remarks on Money Laundering Bills; Calls Them 'Fallacious' and 'Incorrect'

The head of the Expediency Discernment Council criticized Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's comments regarding the uncertainty surrounding the bills related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), calling them 'fallacious,' 'incorrect,' and 'indigestible.' Rouhani had stated, 'One cannot hand over the country to ten or twenty people and say we are subordinate to whatever decisions they make. The owner of this country is the great nation.' In response, Larijani expressed surprise at the President's remarks, questioning why someone knowledgeable about legal matters would speak in such a manner. He deemed the insinuations regarding the decisions of institutions 'emanating from the Constitution' as incorrect, asserting that legal institutions are indeed derived from the people's votes. He emphasized that the Guardianship Council's clerics are appointed by the Supreme Leader, who is himself chosen through the Assembly of Experts, which is elected by the people. Larijani's comments come despite his previous rejections of the Assembly of Experts' oversight over the Supreme Leader and associated institutions. The head of the judiciary had previously labeled Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's statements about the Assembly's oversight as 'baseless,' 'incorrect,' and 'unlawful expectations.' Members of the Assembly of Experts have also denied the Assembly's oversight over the Supreme Leader, frequently reporting on the demands of Ayatollah Khamenei from this Assembly. Additionally, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, criticized Rouhani's comments, stating, 'The leader is the one in charge of the nation, and the members of the council were appointed by the leader and told to examine these issues.' The conflict between supporters and opponents of two bills related to Iran's accession to the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism and the Palermo Convention on Transnational Organized Crime has become a significant topic in the political arena of the Islamic Republic in recent months. The Expediency Discernment Council, in its last session of the year, failed to reach a conclusion regarding the Palermo bill for the fourth time, postponing the vote on this bill until next year. Meanwhile, Larijani mentioned that the Supreme Leader requested in his letter to the Council that these bills be examined with 'careful consideration.' The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) extended Iran's suspension from its blacklist until June, providing Iran with another four months to comply with global standards. The FATF has previously granted the Islamic Republic four opportunities to remove itself from the blacklist by passing laws and adhering to international standards.