WANA (Oct 21) – The Iranian representative has participated in the main plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Paris — marking the country’s first official presence at the organization’s primary session after a six-year hiatus.

 

Following an official invitation from FATF, Hadi Khani, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs and Secretary of the High Council for Anti–Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing, attended the session at FATF headquarters in Paris to present Iran’s progress report. The presentation focuses on the approval and accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, commonly known as the “Palermo Convention.”

 

During the meeting, the Iranian delegation is expected to outline the process of adopting and implementing the new law and to discuss scheduling future sessions to address remaining questions and clarifications requested by FATF members.

FATF. Social media/ WANA News Agency

FATF. Social media/ WANA News Agency

The Paris plenary will also review the progress of countries currently on the FATF “grey list,” including Monaco, Bulgaria, Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa, Vietnam, and Venezuela.

 

According to the Financial Intelligence Center, once the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially deposits the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) with the United Nations, the development will be reported to FATF — with a potential review expected at the organization’s next meeting.

 

Previously, the head of Iran’s Financial Intelligence Center emphasized the importance of Iran’s permanent membership in the FATF’s Eurasian regional group, arguing that such participation would strengthen Iran’s official platform for defending its national interests and help shift the country’s evaluation process from FATF and the IMF to a regional body comprising friendly and like-minded states.