Iran Blasts US for Reassuring ‘World’s Number 1 Nuclear Threat’ on More Arms
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif lambasted the US for seeking to sell more weapons to the “world's number one nuclear threat”, Israel, while trying to “impede lawful normalization of Iran's defense cooperation with the world”.
“Outlaw @SecPompeo has no qualms about violating his own country's laws. Standing next to World's #1 nuclear threat, he declares his desire to flood our region with even more US weapons—all while trying to impede lawful normalization of Iran's defense cooperation with the world,” Zarif tweeted on Monday.
It came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem al-Quds, said Washington will find a way to balance helping its military ally, the United Arab Emirates, without weakening Israel’s “qualitative military edge” (QME).
Pompeo’s remarks came amid controversy over whether the US will sell F-35 stealth jets to Abu Dhabi, after the Emirati officials unveiled their plan to totally normalize their country’s relations with Israel.
“The US has legal requirements with respect to the QME, and we will respect that,” Pompeo said, adding, “We have a 20-plus year security relationship with the UAE as well.”
To shed more light on the US administration’s plan to sell more weapons to West Asian countries, Zarif in his tweet also incorporated a July 24 article by the New York Times in which the prestigious American daily had revealed the Trump administration’s plan to sell “large armed drones” to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It noted that Washington’s decision has been opposed internally by arms control officials and lawmakers trying to limit the proliferation of such drones, especially in countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Pompeo’s pledge to honor the Zionist regime’s military edge comes at a time when he is desperately trying to trigger the so-called snapback provision in the 2015 nuclear deal aimed at re-imposing all UN sanctions against Iran.
Earlier this month, the US failed in its bid to extend a UN arms embargo on the Islamic Republic, which is set to expire on October 18 under Resolution 2231.
In the UNSC vote, the US received support only from the Dominican Republic for its anti-Iran resolution, leaving it far short of the minimum nine “yes” votes required for adoption.
Russia and China voted against the resolution and the remaining 11 council members, including France, Germany and the UK, abstained.
On Friday, the US was further isolated with 13 countries on the 15-member UN Security Council opposing its push, arguing that Washington’s move is void given it is using a process agreed under the JCPOA it quit two years ago.
