Watchdog group: Iran tops terror financing watch list

Iran tops terror financing watch list

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — An international fiscal watchdog group says Iran is failing to take steps to block terrorist financing and money laundering.

The 34-nation Financial Action Task Force advises investors and businesses dealing with Iran to closely watch their assets for possible links to “money laundering and financing of terrorism.” The report Thursday did not cite any specific Iranian banks or networks.

But Iran is a main sponsor of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian faction Hamas and is unlikely to end its aid.

The advisory group, wrapping up a meeting in Abu Dhabi, calls on seven other countries to bolster controls, ranging from Pakistan to the African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe.

The others are Ecuador, Ethiopia, Turkmenistan and North Korea.