MNA � Iranian deputy foreign minister and economy minister attended a public session at Iranian parliament to defend government�s bid to fully abide by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) obligations.


The law makers in Iranian Parliament are discussing two bills (Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism) drafted by government of Hassan Rouhani in order to meet the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) obligations and Iran�s removal from FATF blacklist of violating countries.

Iranian�Deputy Foreign Minister�for Political Affairs Seyyed�Abbas Araghchi and Iran�s Economy Minister Masoud Karbasian were present in the parliament this morning to defend the government�s bills.

The international governing body which is in charge of taking actions against money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism �FATF- has extended a waiver on punitive measures against Iran for six month because of the draft legislation currently before the Iranian Parliament.

Iranian Principalist groups have warned Rouhani�s administration and the parliament of cooperation with FATF, saying that fulfilling its obligations will not compel the big European banks to do business with Iran as they have shown in the past two years after the implementation of the JCPOA. The opposition groups to Iran�s membership in FATF believe that the so called Iran-related Secondary US sanctions are hindering big European banks to carry out monetary transactions with their Iranian counterparts, warning that abiding by FATF commitments is a trap set by the United States. The Principalists are also worried that through these commitments the United States and occupying regime of Israel are trying to put an end to Iran�s support for Resistance groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah.

It has just been reported that the Parliament has decided to postpone discussing the drafted bills until the coming Tuesday.