Who is the Financial Action Task Force Legacy?

The newspaper Shargh, in its front page on Tuesday, referred to the repeated attacks by conservative media and figures against Hassan Rouhani's government for Iran's accession to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as a legacy of the previous government. It stated that these attacks on the eleventh government were due to the implementation of a law approved by the parliament and the Guardian Council. The newspaper pointed out that Iran's joining the FATF was based on the anti-terrorism financing bill submitted to the eighth parliament in 2010, signed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the president of the tenth government. In February 2011, this bill was approved by the conservative eighth parliament. On March 13, 2011, the Guardian Council announced that this bill had a judicial nature and needed to come from the judiciary to the parliament. On July 31 of last year, the ninth parliament re-approved this bill with amendments to address the Guardian Council's objections, but on August 1 of last year, the Guardian Council rejected this resolution again in the ninth parliament. Ultimately, the bill was approved in a session on February 1 and received the Guardian Council's approval on March 4, 2016. Shargh referred to the repeated attacks against Rouhani's government in recent days and noted that the signatures of the parliament on oil contracts have not yet dried, and the hardliners are using the responses from Sepah and Mellat banks regarding the rejection of requests for opening foreign currency accounts for 'individuals' and 'entities' that are under sanctions to once again attack the government. The newspaper, however, stated that both key laws that removed Iran from the FATF blacklist, namely 'anti-money laundering' and 'anti-terrorism financing,' have the backing of the Islamic Consultative Assembly's approval, and they are monitored in the implementation of the standards of two high councils: the Supreme National Security Council and the Supreme Anti-Money Laundering Council. The newspaper Jahan Sanat, in its front page titled 'The Fight Over Dirty Money,' wrote that while Iran's name has been removed from the list of countries subject to financial actions since July of this year, it seems that not everyone is pleased with this event and they are trying to portray this issue negatively in every possible way. Many individuals who opposed the JCPOA were dissatisfied with why we do not see the effects of the JCPOA in the country; now that the effects of the JCPOA are gradually becoming apparent, these individuals remain unsatisfied and oppose every positive or negative event in some way. The newspaper explicitly attributed the attacks and criticisms against Iran's accession to the FATF to those who would be harmed, stating that while issues like transparency and anti-money laundering would harm many individuals who claim integrity, it was not expected that with Iran's progress and the country's exit from economic isolation, there would be such opposition and efforts to create grounds against it. Masoud Hoshamand, a member of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, emphasized in the editorial of Jahan Sanat that access to banking information is a prerequisite for international relations, highlighting that Iran's name has recently been removed from the list of countries that require financial action against them, which could present new opportunities for the country, but it has also provoked many reactions. The editorial writer of Jahan Sanat emphasized that regarding joining the FATF, both sulking and fully complying with others' demands would be detrimental; instead, we should find a shortcut, which is negotiation and dialogue. The newspaper Arman dedicated its front page to the meeting of the new British ambassador in Tehran with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, emphasizing the revival of Iran-UK relations, stating that Rouhani's key turned in the lock of the British embassy. According to this newspaper, on Tuesday afternoon, Hamid Baidi-Nejad, the new Iranian ambassador to Britain, and Nicholas Hopton, the new British ambassador in Tehran, simultaneously attended the foreign ministries of both countries and met with the foreign ministers after submitting their credentials. The newspaper Javan, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, expressed dissatisfaction with the elevation of Iran-UK relations to ambassadorial level, stating that the experience of British foreign policy, especially in recent years, has shown that political-security concepts among British foreign policy decision-makers prevail over economic considerations. Therefore, perhaps the timely British officials see the return of their ambassador not as an opportunity for economic relations but as a means to plant the seed of sedition in the womb of Iran's 96 elections, which is nine months away, to give birth to the fetus of sedition right at the nine-month mark. Majid Tafreshi, in a note in the newspaper Etemad, pointed out that with the appointment of Hamid Baidi-Nejad as the new ambassador of Iran in London and the practical elevation of diplomatic relations, a new era of the tumultuous relationship between Iran and Britain has begun. He emphasized that national interests and Iran's interests dictate that improving relations between Tehran and London should be considered an important and influential step in Iran's renewed presence in the global political, economic, and diplomatic arena and regarded as a significant victory for the diplomatic strategy of the government of hope and prudence.