![\"Iran](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Khamenei_Too_Weak_to_Intervene_Over_Anti-Terror_Financing_Bill.jpg\" "\\"Khamenei_Too_Weak_to_Intervene_Over_Anti-Terror_Financing_Bill\\"")
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By\u00a0Shahriar Kia<\/p>\n
Making Europe\u2019s financial mechanism called INSTEX, available to Iran is conditioned upon the regime in Tehran conforming to the Financial Actions Task Force (FATF) money laundering standards.<\/p>\n
One year after the U.S. abandoned the JCPOA, and months of hoping that the European package would rescue Iran\u2019s crumbling economy, the regime\u2019s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif shows his disappointment with his post on Twitter, \u201cA year after US’ unlawful abrogation of JCPOA, Europe can’t muster political will to defy US’ #EconomicTERRORISM. Not even by setting up a single banking channel for humanitarian aid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zarif added, \u201cE3 are instead busy appeasing @realDonaldTrump by pressuring UN over our defensive capabilities.\u201d He produced a France 24 article titled, \u201cBritain, France, Germany seek full UN report of Iran missile activity,\u201d as proof of his claim.<\/p>\n
Following the 2015 nuclear deal, UN Security Council Resolution 2231 was adopted. It calls on Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n
An interesting perspective is presented by IRNA news agency. \u201cThe uncertain, and in a way hopeless situation, of approving the FATF bills [in Iran] continues while directors and analysts of the banking sector have already warned time and again about the consequences of not approving the aforementioned bills for the banking network [of Iran],\u201d a recent piece reads.<\/p>\n
Seyed Kamal Seyed-Ali, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Iran, told IRNA, \u201cIf we don\u2019t join this international agreement [FATF], every bank can avoid working with us with this excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seyed Reza Haji Aghamiri, a member of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture, also voiced concerns. \u201cIn the new year, there is the FATF issue that, if not approved, the current international spread of negativity about us will increase,\u201d he said. \u201cUnder the pretext of [ballistic] missiles and support for terrorism, the U.S. and our enemies seek to paralyze our economy and we should be vigilant about this and shouldn\u2019t give them excuses. Generally, the new year will be a tough one for Iran\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mehdi Pazouki, a former Iranian official and a current professor of economics at the Tabataba’i university in Iran, said, \u201cI believe that the Expediency Council must be responsible about such decisions and pay its price. As we consider the government responsible for escalating inflation, if problems arise in Iran\u2019s trade with other countries in case the FATF is not approved, the responsibility will be on the Expediency Council\u2019s shoulders. Approving the FATF is not tantamount to economic problems being resolved. Current problems are rooted in our management and views, but we should pay attention that with economic ignorance, one can\u2019t remove these problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mashregh News website recently attacked an Iranian MP who had said, \u201cThe FATF is U.S.\u2019 bullying, but we need to accept it.\u201d Mashregh News countered with, \u201cThe reformists claim that in order to rescue the JCPOA we need to join the FATF. While prior that, according to proponents of the nuclear deal, the JCPOA was supposed to solve all the country\u2019s problems.\u201d It adds, \u201cThey say, sign the JCPOA to rescue the economy; accept Europe\u2019s financial channel so that the JCPOA is rescued; accept the FATF to rescue the European financial channel, accept the ballistic missile [limitations] and regional [restrictions] to so that FATF is rescued, accept the human rights [demands] to rescue the ballistic missile and regional [deal].\u201d<\/p>\n
Real reforms that adhere to financial transparency are at odds with the Islamic Republic\u2019s philosophy, as previously pointed out, and will have fundamental effects on its behavior and power structure, which may ultimately result in its demise. The current controversy and indecisiveness about FATF, is just one more problem for a regime that is ideologically rooted in the past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Shahriar Kia Making Europe’s financial mechanism called INSTEX, available to Iran is conditioned upon the regime in Tehran conforming to the Financial Actions Task Force (FATF) money laundering standards. One […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":52990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[178],"class_list":{"0":"post-26056","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iran-a-world","8":"tag-save"},"yoast_head":"\n