Foreign Desk Report
NEW YORK: An American effort to extend an international arms embargo on Iran failed to pass the United Nations Security Council, setting the stage for a showdown over the fate of the 2015 nuclear deal.
The vote in the 15-member Council was two in favour, two against and 11 abstentions, leaving it far short of the minimum nine “yes” votes required for adoption. Major US allies France, Germany and the United Kingdom were among the 11 abstentions. Russia and China strongly opposed the resolution, but did not need to use their vetoes. Only the Dominican Republic voted for the US resolution.
All eyes are now on the United States’ next move as Trump administration officials have previously threatened to invoke a snapback of all sanctions that were lifted under the Iran nuclear deal if the resolution failed.
Shortly before the official UN vote, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement lashing out at the resolution’s failure. “The United Nations Security Council is charged with the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. It failed today to uphold its fundamental mission set,” Pompeo said.
It rejected a reasonable resolution to extend the 13-year old arms embargo on Iran and paved the way for Iran to buy and sell conventional weapons without specific UN restrictions in place for the first time in over a decade, he continued. “The Security Council’s failure to act decisively in defence of international peace and security is inexcusable.”
Under a UN Security Council’s resolution approved in 2015 in support of the nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers, a ban on imports and exports of conventional weapons to and from Iran is set to lift October 18.
Pompeo and his outgoing top Iran envoy, Brian Hook, had been urging countries for months to support extending the embargo, warning about the dangers of allowing Iran to freely move weapons through the Middle East and buy more advanced weapons from countries such as Russia and China.
In explaining their votes, US allies said the resolution would never have passed.
