TEHRAN (Iran News) – Chairman of Iran-Switzerland Joint Chamber of Commerce Sharif Nezam-Mafi says FATF has nothing to do with Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA) and each one has a different function.

Speaking to ILNA, Nezam-Mafi said that the SHTA should provide more options for Iranian purchasers and companies, and this limitation should be lifted in order that the channel could become more active and turn into an operational lever for required purchases of Iran.

Touching upon the latest development on the transfer of Iran’s blocked assets via the SHTA, he said that so far there is no news of the released assets in the SHTA because nobody announced the transfer of the money to this channel and even Swiss media have not pointed to it but is maybe possible that Switzerland does not announce the news.

On Switzerland’s inability for providing Iran with medicine more than 300m euros, he said Iran evaluates its needs for medicine based on the current time and if Iran’s financial capabilities grow, the purchase of medicine will increase. He added that if the money in the account is more than Iran’s need for the purchase of the medicine, then it can use the extra money for purchasing grain.

Nezam-Mafi reiterated that Iran’s need for basic and humanitarian goods is above the current companies which are just working in Switzerland and the SHTA should provide more options for purchase for the Iranian companies and purchasers.

He reiterated that the joint chamber believes that the purchaser should have the right to choose, adding that in his opinion, the restrictions should be lifted in order that the channel could be more active and turn into an operational lever for the required items for purchase by Iran.

On the effect of FATF, he stipulated that FATF has nothing to do with SHTA because SHTA is not a normal banking channel, adding that since the purchaser, good and the money are all evaluated in this channel, it is above that laws and regulations of the FATF and therefore it has nothing to do with FATF.

Nezam-Mafi reiterated that the SHTA has been set up for a certain condition, adding that as long as the sanctions and banking problems remain in place, the SHTA can be a good solution for providing required goods.