US seeks indefinite UN arms embargo on Iran

THE UNITED States has circulated a draft United Nations (UN) resolution that would indefinitely extend a UN arms embargo on Iran set to expire in October, a move almost certain to spark opposition from Russia, which has made no secret of its desire to resume conventional weapons sales to Tehran, United States (US) officials and UN diplomats said on Tuesday.

The draft document, which as of Tuesday had been circulated only to a small number of Security Council members, would strike the expiration of the arms embargo from the council resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal between six major powers and Iran, according to Trump administration officials and UN diplomats, who were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The US officials said the aim is to present the resolution for a vote in May when Estonia, a NATO member and close US ally that is not party to the nuclear deal, holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council.

The arms embargo was not a part of the landmark 2015 accord, but Iran has long sought its removal, and its expiration was included in the council resolution as a reward for Iranian compliance with the agreement’s nuclear restrictions. Since Iran is admittedly no longer complying with several elements of the nuclear deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the administration believes it has a case to make that the embargo should not be lifted, the officials said.

AP The empty chair of Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is pictured prior to the start of the IAEA board of governors meeting at the International Center in Vienna, Austria, on Monday, March 9.