U.S. fails to pass a resolution extending arms ban on Iran
NEW YORK, (ST)- The UN Security Council has rejected a US bid to extend arms embargo on Iran after Russia and China had vetoed a draft resolution submitted by Washington for this purpose.
Russia and China have voted against the draft resolution, while Britain, France and Germany as well as eight other countries abstained from voting. Only the United States and the Dominican Republic supported the draft resolution.
Iran had stressed that any resolution that extends arms ban on Tehran would violate the Security Council’s Resolution No. 2231 and it will be unacceptable as it disregards international law.
The embargo will expire on October 18 under UNSC Resolution 2231 regarding the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
However, Washington which unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018, seeks to keep the ban in place through a resolution.
Russia’s UN envoy urged Security Council to avoid confrontation on Iranian issue
In a statement, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said that Moscow urges its partners in the UN Security Council to avoid further escalation of confrontation over the Iranian issue.
“On August 14 the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin suggested convening an online meeting of the heads of state of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, with the participation of the heads of Germany and Iran, as soon as possible, in order to outline steps that can prevent confrontation or an escalation of tensions in the UN Security Council,” the Russian diplomat said, urging the parties concerned to carefully consider this proposal.
Commenting on the US failure to extend Iran’s arms embargo, Spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Abbas Musavi said in a tweet on Saturday that the United States has never witnessed such an isolation like now since the creation of the United Nations 75 years ago.
He added that Iran’s active diplomacy in addition to the nuclear deal’s strong legal base have defeated the Americans several times.
Hamda Mustafa