Speaking on the sidelines of a conference on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, Hadi Khani noted that Iran is already a member of the Palermo Convention and hopes for “more serious discussions” with representatives of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in the near future.
He stressed that Iran has long been unfairly placed on FATF’s high-risk list, which has led to economic restrictions. “Remaining on the blacklist and potential activation of mechanisms such as the snapback clause would increase costs for managing sanctions,” he warned.
Khani emphasized that many countries have joined these conventions with specific reservations to protect national interests, adding that Iran’s review process in the Expediency Council is technical and independent of political or media pressures.
Iran has already incorporated parts of FATF recommendations into domestic law, and officials hope to finalize decisions after ongoing expert reviews, he explained.
