IRNA � Senior Iranian lawmaker said on Saturday that he is not optimist about extension of Iran's sanction waiver by the world's financial watchdog.


Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as the world's financial watchdog has extended a waiver for punitive measures against Iran but set a deadline of October.

FATF extension of Iran's sanction waiver is very similar to US President Donald Trump waivers before withdrawing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached between the Islamic Republic and G5+1 (US, UK, Russia, China, France plus Germany), Head of the parliament (Majlis) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said.

He described Iran's banking and financial status as transparent and noted that FATF demands from Iran and setting a new deadline is very similar to Trump approach and seems to be politically motivated.

The MP said that the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission has commissioned a taskforce to prepare a new bill on fighting money laundering instead of joining Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT).

Tehran has tried to attract foreign investors after completing a landmark 2015 agreement with the world powers under which a number of sanctions were lifted in exchange for Iran agreeing to curbs on its civilian nuclear program.

Iran has been trying to implement standards set by the FATF, a global group of government anti-money-laundering (AML) and counter financing of terrorism regimes (CFT), in the hope it will be removed from a blacklist that makes some foreign investors reluctant to deal with it.

Iran�s Supreme Leader said on June 20 that parliament should pass legislation to combat money laundering according to its own criteria.