According to Shada, the invitation follows Iran’s recent efforts to strengthen its framework for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. These include cooperation with the FATF’s regional group and the ratification of the Palermo Convention by the Expediency Discernment Council.
Hadi Khani, Secretary of the Supreme Council for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, will represent Iran in the talks, which are set to take place in Madrid, Spain. The discussions aim to normalize Iran’s standing with the FATF, suspend existing countermeasures, and potentially remove the country from the FATF’s list of high-risk jurisdictions.
Iran originally signed the Palermo Convention on 12 December 2000. The Islamic Consultative Assembly approved the country’s accession to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in 2017, with final ratification by the Expediency Discernment Council occurring earlier this year.
The Palermo Convention is one of four key international frameworks endorsed by the FATF. Iran has already joined two of the remaining conventions. Analysts suggest that ratifying the CFT (Combating the Financing of Terrorism) convention, seen as complementary to Palermo, could significantly enhance Iran’s credibility in global financial transparency. Completion of all four FATF-related commitments would pave the way for deeper engagement with the organization and facilitate broader economic integration with international markets.