Tehran– On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the inclusion of the Financial Action Task Force to Combat Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism (FATF) Iran In its blacklist, Iranian Minister of Economy Ehsan Khandouzi announced the removal of his country’s name from Title 7 of the Financial Action Task Force and international standards for combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and arms proliferation.
In a statement to the Iranian media last Sunday, Khandouzi expected that the Financial Action Task Force’s decision would reduce the risks of global trade with his country, explaining that the step came in response to Tehran’s protest and its demand to remove the recommendations related to Chapter Seven with the end of the restrictions contained in the Security Council resolutions in October. the past.
This comes after the FATF ended, in February 2020, its previous decision to suspend the inclusion of Iran on its blacklist following Tehran’s signature. The nuclear agreement With the six-party group (1 + 5), as in 2016 Tehran’s final exit from the list was conditional on accepting all prevailing laws and decisions of the International Working Group.
With Tehran returned to the blacklist, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided in 2020 to rely on the UN sanctions imposed on Iran and provide recommendations in accordance with the criteria of UN Resolution No. 2231.
Incomplete achievement
While the pro-government spectrum in Iran says that “the decision represents a great achievement in breaking the cordon of US sanctions,” the spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Abu al-Fadl Amoui, considers the Financial Group’s recent decision a natural result of Tehran’s commitment to UN Resolution 2231 for eight years. past.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Amoui explained that the Financial Action Task Force’s decision means that “economic cooperation with Iran no longer represents a threat to the spread of weapons of mass destruction,” as the UN sanctions on arming Tehran and its ballistic missile program have been completely lifted in accordance with the so-called “transitional day in the nuclear agreement.” “Scheduled for October 28, 2023.
Amoui explained that the FATF Group’s reports still consider financial transactions with Iran to carry a threat regarding terrorist financing and money laundering, describing those reports as “containing empty accusations,” stressing the continuation of some challenges in his country’s cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force regarding a number of outstanding issues.
The recommendations of Chapter Seven issued by the FATF concern sanctions related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and require countries to confiscate the funds and assets of the persons and institutions concerned in line with the resolutions UN Security Council.
Black list
Economic researcher Sohrab Rostami Kia believes that there is no exit from the blacklist except after ratifying all prevailing laws and decisions of the International Working Group, including the United Nations Convention against Organized Crime, known as the Palermo Convention, and the International Treaty to Combat the Financing of Terrorism and Money Laundering.
In 2018, the previous Iranian parliament approved two projects regarding Tehran’s accession to the Convention against the Financing of Terrorism and the Convention against Organized Crime, in response to the efforts of the previous government of Hassan Rouhani aimed at guaranteeing the interests of the nuclear agreement concluded in 2015 and preventing Iran from being returned to the blacklist, but the Guardian Council andExpediency Discernment Council Offering the step.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Rostami Kia said that Iranian circles differ regarding meeting all necessary conditions and implementing the decisions prevailing in the Financial Action Task Force to exit the blacklist, attributing the reason to the harassment these laws and treaties represent to the Iranian economy besieged by Western sanctions.
Reducing risks
Rostami considered the transparency desired in financial exchanges a contradiction to Iranian methods of circumventing sanctions, and it also restricts Iranian hands to help its allies in the resistance movements. The Iranian researcher expressed his belief that leaving the blacklist alone will not be able to advance the Iranian economy if the nuclear crisis is not resolved and revived. The nuclear agreement concluded in 2015.
The economic researcher continued that removing the country’s name from Recommendations No. 7 in the Financial Action Task Force will contribute to reducing the level of international risks in dealing with Iran, but it will take time to convince foreign parties to enhance their financial exchanges with Tehran.
He concluded that not joining the FATF laws would hinder the advancement of the Iranian economy, and increase foreign parties’ reluctance to enhance their trade exchanges with Iran.
Economic circles in Iran recommend that the relevant authorities work to remove the country’s name from the blacklist in order to reap the benefits of its accession to many international organizations and economic and political unions, most notably the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the BRICS group, in addition to Tehran signing a number of long-term strategic agreements with each of them. From China, Russia, Venezuela, Syria and other countries.
On the other hand, the Iranian Ministry of Economy announced last October that the Islamic Republic “has its own mechanisms to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.”
The interest of the system
In a previous statement to Al Jazeera Net, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, Muhammad Reda Bahaner, confirmed that there was a dispute between Parliament and the Guardian Council regarding the Financial Action Task Force laws, which led to the case being referred to the Expediency Discernment Council, which in turn was not resolved for various reasons, including conflict. Opinions of its members.
According to Bahner, there is a law that stipulates that if the Council does not decide on a case within a year of referring it to it, the decision will be made by the Guardian Council, which opposes the ratification of FATF laws in this case.
Bahner said that the government’s opinion is influential in convincing members of the regime’s interest complex, even if it is a government Ibrahim Raisi It sees an interest in ratifying these laws, so it can express its opinion and ask the Council to decide again on the issue, and then the Council will be ready to facilitate the matter.
