Iran-backed Terrorism

FATF has urged countries and financial institutions to review, amend, and potentially terminate correspondent account relationships with Iranian financial institutions. FATF should now also impose increased audit requirements for financial institutions with branches or subsidiaries located in Iran and ensure that their financial institutions limit business relationships and financial transactions with Iran. While Iran is subject to an extensive framework of economic sanctions, FATF underscored that countries around the world must take additional steps to counteract the serious money-laundering risks emanating from the country.

Acknowledging that a longtime policy may have passed its sell-by date is rarely easy. Policy inertia is a powerful force, and large bureaucracies are almost always resistant to major changes in direction—especially when it comes to things like Iraq’s post-2003 political order that the United States did so much to create. But major events are afoot now in Iraq that cry out for serious reevaluation. Not only are important U.S. interests are at stake, but, as we’ve seen repeatedly in recent weeks, the lives of U.S. troops and diplomats are increasingly at risk as well. Recognizing the need for a significant shift in approach is the critical first step toward building a more sustainable and effective long-term Iraq policy, even if comes at the expense of acknowledging that Washington’s approach since 2003 has largely been a failure.

The Post could not verify the Mehr News report prior to publication.

The EU and Germany, however, have outlawed Hezbollah’s “military wing” and allows the “political wing” to raise funds and recruit new members in Europe. Hezbollah considers itself a unified movement, without separate wings.

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said last month during a congressional hearing that Tehran is the top state sponsor of Holocaust denial and antisemitism.