Iran votes to join pact to combat terror financing

143 out of 268 lawmakers in Tehran give their support to signing UN convention against the funding of terrorists

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By AP and ToI Staff 7 October 2018, 12:12 pm Edit

Illustrative photo of a a session of the Iranian parliament in Tehran, Iran, August 28, 2018. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Iran’s parliament voted to join a global convention to cut off terror financing, hoping to avoid further international sanctions as the 2015 nuclear accord unravels.

Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said 143 out of 268 lawmakers present voted Sunday to join the “Terrorist Financing Convention,” or TFC.

Iran has long provided support to the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group as well as Palestinian armed groups, which Western countries view as terrorist organizations. Hardliners had opposed joining the CFT, saying it threatened Iran’s sovereignty.

US President Donald Trump in May withdrew the US from the nuclear deal signed by Iran and world powers in 2015, and has vowed to ramp up sanctions unless Iran dramatically changes its policies, including halting its support for regional militant groups.

European countries are trying to salvage the nuclear accord.

The TFC, known formally as the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, is a 1999 UN treaty that aims to criminalize the financing of terrorism.