Russia Rules Out Extension of UN Arms Embargo on Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia's Permanent Representative to the IAEA Mikhail Ulyanov ruled out the possibility of renewing a UN arms embargo against Iran which is to expire in October, reminding Washington that the risk of arms race could only be reduced through collective efforts, not unilateralism.
“Usually an arms race is not unilateral. It is a collective endeavor even at level of great powers or in regional & subregional context. A risk of arms race can hardly be removed through arms embargo against one country. This task requires collective efforts through negotiations,” Ulyanov tweeted late on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a tweet urged the United Nations Security Council to extend the international arms embargo on Iran.
In 2019, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the US officials’ calls for extension of the embargo against Iran are considered as a foreign policy move that has no basis and principle, highlighting that the removal of the embargo is based on the JCPOA, signed by several parties including the US and endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 in 2015.
The Russian official said Moscow is not going to bow to the US demands whenever they want so. “They may come up with something else next time.”
Under the nuclear deal, from which the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018, a UN ban on weapons sales to Tehran will end in October 2020.