by Ariel Kahana, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Measures to focus on compelling Iran to meet international rules for the prevention of money laundering, stem the flow of funds to terrorist groups
The administration
of U.S. President Donald Trump is initiating a global initiative to
fight illegal Iranian economic activity around the world, which will
focus primarily on the transfer of funds to terrorist organizations,
Israel Hayom has learned.
The United States also intends to intensify
pressure on Iran in international bodies, chief among them the
Financial Action Task Force. The FATF is an intergovernmental
organization founded by G7 countries to combat money laundering.
The American initiative will focus on
compelling Iran to meet international rules for the prevention of money
laundering and, as stated, stem the flow of funds to terrorist groups.
Iran, it has been well documented, gives vast sums of money to the
Lebanese Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah, and to Palestinian
terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The White House intends to expose Iran's
illicit behavior and bring to bear legal and public pressure to force
the Islamic republic to change its ways.
Aside from its own direct measures, the
U.S. has also asked various European governments to help target Iran's
economic activities on the continent. American officials have told their
European counterparts that the administration was prepared to invest
considerable resources to expose Iran's financial operations, and would
share its information with European authorities to help them indict the
perpetrators. The administration is still waiting for the European
response.
Iran is aware of the international pressure
against it on the money laundering front. On Saturday, a powerful
Iranian council approved an anti-money laundering bill in a step toward
reforms to bring the country in line with global norms.
Foreign businesses say Iran's compliance
with FATF standards and its removal from the organization's blacklist
are essential if they are to increase investment, especially after
re-imposition of the U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
However, Iranian hardliners have opposed
passing legislation toward compliance with the FATF, arguing it could
hamper Iranian financial support for its terrorist allies such as
Hezbollah.
Iran's parliament last year passed the
anti-money laundering bill, one of four amendments Iran needs to
implement to meet FATF requirements, but the Guardian Council, a vetting
body, rejected it, saying it was against Islam and the constitution.
On Saturday, the Expediency Council, a body
intended to resolve disputes between parliament and the Guardian
Council, approved the bill with some changes, Iran's state news agency
IRNA said, quoting a member of the council.
Seven months after his harsh dismissal of
parliamentary efforts to adapt to FATF guidelines and other
international conventions on money laundering, Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei seems to have warmed to the reforms, a reversal that
experts say is aimed at preventing Iran's economic collapse.
In recent months, cities have been rocked
by demonstrations as factory workers, teachers, truck drivers and
farmers protested against economic hardship. The sanctions have
depressed the value of Iran's rial currency and aggravated annual
inflation fourfold to nearly 40% in November.
Ariel Kahana, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2019/01/11/us-launches-global-initiative-against-iranian-funds-to-hezbollah/
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