Ratification of FATF Bills Prerequisite for Iran’s Access to Financial Resources: Spokesman

Speaking to reporters after a Wednesday meeting of the cabinet, Rabiei said the Expediency Council’s ratification of the FATF bills, proposed by the administration, will result in the improvement of international banking and financial relations and the removal of some obstacles.

Pointing to a recent letter that the administration has sent to Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to put forward legal proposals to address a series of concerns of the Expediency Council’s members, Rabiei said, “The Leader ordered that they (bills) not be expired, and that the (Expediency) Council can once again address the subject.”

Expressing optimism about the ratification of the bills, the spokesman added, “God willing, we will resolve the problems in cooperation with the (Expediency) Council. I believe we should all refer to people today.”

“We must consider the interests of people. We believe that the sanctions will fail. After the defeat of sanctions, our becoming blacklisted should not cause any problem to serving the people,” he noted.

The spokesman said the cabinet has once again discussed the FATF subject at the Wednesday session, adding, “Even if it is ratified by the (Expediency) Council, the situation has become again different from the past. Coming out of the blacklist requires a great deal of effort, while the administration will be doing that.”

“The regulations have become stricter. However, if they (bills) are ratified, we will push hard to remove those obstacles. We still believe that these bills are necessary to enable us to have access to our financial resources and avoid useless international challenges,” he concluded.

A few days ago, Ayatollah Khamenei approved the administration’s proposal for the extension of a process that authorizes the Expediency Council to review the remaining bills prepared by the government to take Iran out of the FATF blacklist.