UANI Applauds Financial Action Task Force Decision to Keep Iran Blacklisted

June 24, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2016
[email protected]

UANI Applauds Financial Action Task Force Decision to Keep Iran Blacklisted

UANI called on FATF to keep Iran on its list of high-risk countries

New York, NY - The Leaders of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) today applauded the decision of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to keep Iran on its blacklist due to concerns over continuing illicit financial activity. Iran remains on the FATF's select list of highest-risk jurisdictions, alongside North Korea.

UANI, through an open letter signed by former high-ranking government officials and policy experts, successfully persuaded the FATF this past week to express its concern over "the terrorist financing risk emanating from Iran and the threat this poses to the international financial system." Signatories to the letter included former U.S. Senator and UANI Chairman Joseph I. Lieberman, former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the CIA Michael Morell, former Special Assistant to President Obama and UANI co-founder Ambassador Dennis Ross, former Chief of the Mossad and UANI advisory board member Tamir Pardo, and former Foreign Ministers of Italy and Poland and UANI advisory board members Ambassadors Giulio Terzi and Radek Sikorski. The open letter is part of a larger global effort by the nonpartisan organization to highlight the dangers of doing business with the Iranian regime.

"Keeping Iran blacklisted, as UANI's letter urged, is a reminder to the international community that the fundamental nature of the Iranian regime remains unchanged since the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," said Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, co-founder and CEO of UANI. "UANI is committed to ensuring that the Iranian regime is held accountable for actions that undermine the integrity of the international financial system, namely state sponsorship of terrorism and money laundering. The FATF's determination sends a strong signal that Tehran will not be welcomed into the global economy until it fundamentally changes its behavior. Nevertheless, we have grave doubts over Iran's ability to comply with the FATF Action Plan, given their repeated past history of non-compliance with international norms."

The FATF rendered the decision to keep Iran on the blacklist at one of its annual plenary meetings in Busan, Korea.

Media interested in speaking with Ambassador Wallace please contact: [email protected]

###