Zarif: Economic Interests Worth Tens of Thousands of Billions Are Behind the Campaign Against Anti-Money Laundering Bills

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attributed the 'campaigns' against anti-money laundering bills in Iran to the 'economic interests worth tens of thousands of billions of tomans' of certain individuals, stating that the cost of one such 'campaign' is equivalent to the 'budget of the Foreign Ministry.' In an interview with Khabaronline, Zarif made a veiled reference to some government institutions but clarified that he does not accuse any Islamic Republic entity. He emphasized that the high level of money laundering in Iran is 'a reality' and that 'many benefit' from this situation. He added, 'Those whose transaction volume is 30 thousand billion tomans have enough financial power to spend an amount equal to the entire budget of the Foreign Ministry on one campaign.' Zarif also stated that his ministry lacks the capacity to counter these 'campaigns.' He noted, 'The total budget of the Foreign Ministry is 1100 billion tomans, which is less than the cultural budget of some cultural institutions that are connected to powerful organizations. We cannot counter that campaign.' Despite this veiled reference to government institutions, Zarif insisted that he does not accuse any Islamic Republic entity, but that individuals with 'interests' are behind the 'misconceptions' regarding this issue. The commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and the media affiliated with this institution, Friday prayer leaders, and other appointees of the Supreme Leader are the most serious opponents of the approval of bills related to the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regulations. Meanwhile, the bill for Iran's accession to the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism was recently rejected by the Guardian Council. The 'High Supervisory Board on the Implementation of General Policies of the System,' which operates within the Expediency Discernment Council, has also raised objections to this bill. Opponents of Iran's accession to FATF regulations argue that this would block financial assistance to 'Hamas' and 'Hezbollah.' Proponents of Iran's accession to this treaty claim that its opponents fear economic transparency and the prevention of banking corruption. The FATF expressed regret on October 19 that most of Iran's commitments remain unresolved, while extending Iran's suspension from the group's blacklist for another four months, which was welcomed by Islamic Republic officials. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has advised Iran to implement anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures before the February 2019 deadline set by FATF. Previously, several members of parliament, including Alireza Biglari, quoted Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, as saying that although the implementation of FATF regulations is not directly related to the JCPOA, European 'assistance' in new negotiations with Iran depends on the implementation of these regulations.