MNA – Iranian lawmakers approved a bill on the country’s accession to Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) standards set by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force), after reviewing the comments of opponents and supporters on Sunday open session.







Reportedly, out of 276 MPs present in the meeting, a total of 143 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill while 120 voted against it. Five MPs also abstained.

Parliament's open session on Sunday morning was attended by Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Acting Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Seyyed Rahmatollah Akrami, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Intelligence Minister Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi, Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnaser Hemmati, Vice-President for Legal Affairs Laya Joneydi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi and Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi.

The session covered hearing of the comments of opponents and supporters of the bill on the Iran's accession to Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT). Behrooz Nemati, the spokesman for presiding board of Iran’s Parliament, who was among the supporters of the bill, said the government has so far implemented 40 recommendations by FATF. He stressed that necessary measures should be taken so as not to give the enemy any excuse for misconduct, noting, “if we do not accept the convention, we have actually done nothing” in this regard.

Referring to the accession of the CFT by over 188 countries with their own terms and conditions, Nemati reiterated that joining the convention would remove any excuse and rights for enemies to meddle with our affairs.