Iran’s regime deeply concerned about sanctions, FATF

Iran’s regime deeply concerned about sanctions, FATF

Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Feb. 20, 2019 - On Wednesday, the price of the U.S. dollar soared to 136,500 rials in the currency markets of Tehran, once again raising concerns about the regime’s destructive economic policies and unbridled corruption.

According to the regime’s economic experts, the launching of a new round of talks by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the possibility of re-designating the Iranian regime in this international entity’s blacklist, along with the limbo status of FATF resolutions in the regime’s Expediency Council, are among the reasons behind this price hike.

The Expediency Council decided to halt all evaluations of FATF resolutions and Iranian regime Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif failed to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal during his visit to Munich. As a result, Bahram Ghassemi, spokesperson for the regime’s Foreign Ministry, desperately called on the European Union to understand the regime’s status quo.

“Practical measures are needed and we expect Europe to launch the special purpose vehicle [in reference to INSTEX],” he said on Monday.

All the while, Mostafa Mir-Saleem, a member of the Expediency Council, made this body’s position very clear.

“Evaluating the FATF’s history, and the Palermo and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) documents, we have come to the conclusion that the world arrogance, led by the United States, are using these leverages and political tools to gain control over the [Iranian regime],” he said on Monday.

Asadollah Badamchian, a known regime insider, said INSTEX is targeting the Iranian regime’s economic independence. “Those Expediency Council members who were counting on the Palermo resolution have now concluded to reject this initiative and deliver a correct and logical response to Europe, and prevent the state from further falling into such traps,” he said.

The state-run Jahan-e San’at daily shed further light on this important subject.

“The economic crisis is on the rise. Our diplomacy is on a defensive position and despite all their efforts, they have rendered no results,” the report reads in part. “In our current circumstances, our political apparatus lack any meaningful or specific ideas. The ruling apparatus have provided no ideas on how to exit the current dilemma… The result is further mistrust between the people and the ruling elite. As a result, the people will tend towards following populist, and even dangerous, trends. This is especially true if our economic troubles continue. We have experienced how very dangerous circumstances mushroom from our status quo.”