TEHRAN - Ahmad Vahidi, president of the Supreme National Defense University, said on Monday that the U.S. is seeking to restrict Iran’s defense and nuclear power through the FATF (Financial Action Task Force).

“They want to reduce our scientific and nuclear power through the FATF. The enemy included nuclear issues in the FATF to restrict Iran when they noticed that Iran’s nuclear progress cannot be stopped through resolution,” he told a conference.

Vahidi, who was defense minister from 2009 to 2013 during the Ahmadinejad presidency, argued that the FATF is a security issue.

The remarks by Vahidi comes as the Expediency Council is debating the CFT (the convention combatting financing of terrorism) and Palermo Convention as preludes to join the FATF.

Majlis voted in favor of the CFT on October 7, 2018. A total of 143 lawmakers out of 268 ones present in the parliament voted in favor of the bill. However, the oversight Guardian Council rejected the bill by finding 22 faults with it.

On January 21, the parliament sent the CFT bill, which the Guardian Council says there is still 19 faults with it, to the Expediency Council for final decision.

Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh told reporters on January 20 that three of the faults have been corrected.

To become a law, the Guardian Council should vet the bill for compliance with the Constitution.

According to the constitution, in cases when the parliament and the Guardian Council disagree on a bill the issue is referred to the Expediency Council for final arbitration.

NA/PA