The spokesperson of the Expediency Discernment Council Mohsen Dehnavi announced holding a session on Iran’s conditional accession to the Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (aka the Palermo Convention) next week on Wednesday.
"The assembly emphasizes listening to all expert opinions and ultimately making the best decision in the best interests of the country and protecting national interests," Dehnavi wrote on his X account.
The Iranian parliament has approved the Palermo and the CFT. Still, Iran's Guardian Council, responsible for vetting parliament legislation, has refused to ratify them, citing the need for some amendments.
The Expediency Council, comprised of more than 40 politicians, former officials, and senior clerics, is responsible for settling disputes between the two legislative bodies.
Iran has approved other conventions and regulations of the FATF.
The Council’s renewed debates on FATF come several years after it stopped examining the conventions, fearing they may undermine Iran’s financial independence.
They also come nearly a month after President Masoud Pezeshkian and other authorities signaled in speeches and statements that Iran was pondering joining FATF’s remaining two conventions to facilitate economic activity in the country.
