IRNA – Iran's Vice-President for Legal Affairs Laiya Joneidi says the country's accession to the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) is necessary.

Joneidi told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Thursday that Iran's link with the international banking system, accession to FATF and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) will be necessary for healthy domestic and international banking relations, export and import payments and public livelihood.

'Iran has its own laws on the case (case of joining FATF and CFT); however, if we do not join the treaties, we - as victim of terrorism and money laundering offenses – will not be able to seek assistance of other countries and their cooperation for extradition of criminals and transfer of the convicts and related issues.'

'As a country committed to address these issues based on domestic laws, why it should not be able to benefit in international relations from advantages of global banking system and why it should not be able to take advantage of the results of fighting money laundering and call for other governments to cooperate with Iran?'

Elsewhere in the interview, Joneidi said that in the Geneva Human Rights Council meeting, Iran had strongly defended the belief that certain countries' unilateralism, resulting in their withdrawal from international treaties, are against human civilization.