WANA (Oct 01) – The Expediency Discernment Council of Iran has approved the country’s conditional accession to the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT).
The Council’s spokesperson confirmed the decision, explaining that after four sessions in the plenary and joint commission meetings, it was agreed that Iran would adhere to the CFT only within the framework of its Constitution and domestic laws.
He outlined the two conditions set by the Council:
1. The Parliament had originally stipulated that Iran’s implementation of the CFT would be in accordance with the Constitution.
2. The Council added that Iran must comply with the CFT within the framework of both the Constitution and its domestic laws.
The spokesperson noted that the Council approved Iran’s accession to the CFT under these two conditions.
Earlier this year, in May, the Council had already approved Iran’s accession to the Palermo Convention. FATF had previously required Iran to complete over 40 actions to be removed from its blacklist, with accession to the CFT and the Palermo Convention being two of the key steps. FATF had also emphasized that “if Iran ratifies both conventions in line with FATF standards, the body will then decide on the next steps, including the possible suspension of countermeasures.”
The review of the CFT came amid significant political and international developments for Iran, including the recent 12-day war and the activation of the “snapback” mechanism by three European countries — which Iran considers legally unfounded.
Despite these circumstances, the conditional approval of the CFT by the Expediency Discernment Council could mark a new phase in Iran’s engagement with FATF.
Expediency Discernment Council of Iran. Social media / WANA News Agency