Iran’s CFT Ratification Documents Submitted to the UN
WANA (Nov 04) – According to reports, the CFT documents—approved on October 01 by Iran’s Expediency Council—have now been deposited with the UN. With this submission, Iran is formally recognized as a member of the convention. Under its terms, even if the convention is later deemed harmful to Iran’s interests, the country cannot withdraw from it for at least one year, and any withdrawal would involve penalties and costs.
On October 14, members of Parliament introduced a double-urgency motion to oblige the government to refrain from depositing the CFT documents with the UN. However, the motion failed by a margin of nine votes and was downgraded to ordinary procedure, where it still awaits review.
Expediency Discernment Council of Iran Approves Conditional Accession to CFT
WANA (Oct 01) – The Expediency Discernment Council of Iran has approved the country’s conditional accession to the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT). The Council’s spokesperson confirmed the decision, explaining that after four sessions in the plenary and joint commission meetings, it was agreed that Iran would adhere to the CFT only […]
Following the submission of the documents, Iran has entered a new phase of cooperation with the convention, taking on obligations that include sharing financial information with other countries and collaborating on judicial and intelligence matters.
Ratifying the CFT and the Palermo Convention is a prerequisite for Iran’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist. Under FATF’s action plan, Iran must approve both conventions in line with the organization’s standards.
FATF Rejects Iran’s Accession to Palermo Convention
WANA (Oct 25) – The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) announced on Friday that it has rejected Iran’s approval of the Palermo Convention due to Tehran’s extensive reservations regarding the definition and identification of terrorist groups. According to a statement published on the FATF website, Iran submitted a report in September 2025 detailing its […]
Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, head of the Expediency Council, has previously stated that the Palermo and CFT conventions should be examined independently of FATF, emphasizing that the Council’s discussions are not linked to FATF’s agenda.
However, Hadi Khani, head of Iran’s Financial Intelligence Center, noted after Palermo’s approval that in order to be removed from the FATF blacklist, both Palermo and CFT must be ratified.
Given FATF’s recent statement rejecting Iran’s approval of Palermo as inconsistent with its standards, it appears that legal measures alone will not resolve Iran’s FATF status, and government officials may need to reconsider their approach toward these conventions.
