Foreign Desk Report
NEW YORK: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran before it expires in October, arguing that the country is not a “responsible democracy” and must be held accountable.
Earlier this month, the United States circulated a draft resolution on the measure to the 15-member council, but council veto-powers Russia and China have already signaled their opposition to the move. “Don’t just take it from the United States, listen to countries in the region. From Israel to the Gulf, countries in the Middle East who are most exposed to Iran’s predations are speaking with one voice: Extend the arms embargo,” Pompeo told a virtual Security Council meeting.
“This council has a responsibility to listen to them,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has long argued that the arms embargo on Iran should not be lifted. The arms embargo is set to end in mid-October under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with Britain, Germany, France, China, Russia and the administration of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama. “Iran is not a responsible democracy like Australia or India,” Pompeo told the council.
