United States: UN rejects resolution to extend arms embargo in Iran

The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Friday rejected an American resolution aimed at extending the embargo on arms sales to Iran which expires in October. A rejection which aroused the anger of the United States who denounced an "inexcusable" vote.

Only two countries have approved Washington's plan, announced Indonesia, which chairs this body. Two others, Russia and China, voted against and the remaining eleven Council members abstained, including France, the United Kingdom and Germany, European allies of the United States.

The Dominican Republic was the only one - along with the United States - to vote in favor of the text. If he had obtained nine favorable votes, Beijing and Moscow would certainly have vetoed it, but it was not necessary.

The UN "has failed to fulfill its fundamental mission"

"The United States will never abandon our friends in the region who expected more from the Security Council", reacted in a statement the chief of the American diplomacy, Mike Pompeo. "We will continue to work to ensure that the theocratic terrorist regime is not free to buy and sell weapons that threaten the heart of Europe, the Middle East and beyond," he said. lamented.

According to the Secretary of State, the UN, which brings together the great powers (United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom and France), "has today failed to fulfill its fundamental mission", namely "to maintain international peace and security ".

The @UN Security Council failed today to hold Iran accountable. It enabled the world's top state sponsor of terrorism to buy and sell deadly weapons and ignored the demands of countries in the Middle East. America will continue to work to correct this mistake.

The Security Council "rejected a reasonable resolution to extend a 13-year-old arms embargo on Iran and paved the way for the world's leading terrorist-supporting state to buy and sell conventional arms without restrictions from the United States. 'UN, for the first time in more than a decade ", he lamented, saying that it had gone against the wishes of many Arab countries and Israel.

For its part, Tehran welcomed the vote of the UN Security Council on Saturday. "In 75 years of United Nations history, America has never been so isolated," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Moussavi wrote on Twitter.

🇮🇷در تاریخ ۷۵ ساله سازمان ملل سابقه نداشته که # آمریکا تا این حد منزوی باشد. برغم همه سفرها ، فشارها و دوره گردی ها ، آمریکا توانست فقط یک کشور کوچک را با خود همراه کند. دیشب # دیپلماسی_فعال_ایران در کنار استحکام حقوقی # برجام آمریکا را برای چندمین بار در شورای امنیتدس. pic.twitter.com/wElbpVE2SG

US wants a return to UN sanctions on Iran

Later, the United States announced that it would seek to trigger "in the coming days" an automatic return to the international sanctions package against Iran. A statement made Friday by the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, in a statement.

Washington had in fact warned that if its draft resolution failed, it could try to trigger the "snapback" provided for by the 2015 agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. This mechanism allows for an automatic return to the previously prevailing international sanctions regime against Iran.

Diplomats have indicated that the United States could launch this process as early as next week but that it should be an uphill battle, as the Trump administration withdrew in 2018 from the Common Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed in Vienna in July 2015.

A possible "snapback" would certainly kill the PAGC, as Tehran has already started to violate terms of the deal in response to Washington's withdrawal and the reimposition of unilateral US sanctions.

"The imposition of any sanctions or restrictions against Iran by the Security Council will give rise to a firm response from Iran and our options are not limited," the Iranian ambassador has already warned. 'UN, Majid Takht Ravanchi. "The United States and any entity that may support or accept this illegal behavior will bear full responsibility," he added in a statement.

The result of the vote in #UNSC on arms embargo against Iran shows — once more — the US 'isolation.

Council's message: NO to UNILATERALISM.

US must learn from this debacle. Its attempt to “snapback” sanctions is illegal, and was rejected by int'l community, as was evident today.

Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to hold a virtual summit with the United States and the parties still involved in the 2015 agreement (France, Germany, Great Britain, China and Iran) in view to avoid an escalation at the United Nations over Iran. France is willing to take part in this meeting, the Elysee said.

With AFP and Reuters

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