Iran’s president, FM lash out at US push to extend arms embargo

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s president and foreign minister lash out at a revised proposal by the US that would extend a UN arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, the latest in the Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy against Iran.

The US on Tuesday circulated the revised draft at the UN, seeking to gain more support in the 15-member Security Council where veto-wielding Russia and China have voiced strong opposition. The revised draft, which eliminated some provisions from the earlier version that diplomats said went beyond the extension of the arms embargo, may be put to a vote as early as Friday.

Still, with Russia and China sharply critical of the US effort to indefinitely extend the arms embargo, the two will likely use their veto powers even if the draft got the minimum nine “yes” votes in the council, which appears unlikely.

The US push to make the arms embargo permanent follows President Donald Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between major world powers and Tehran, aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Tehran has repeatedly insisted it does not seek to produce a nuclear bomb.

The nuclear deal, endorsed by the Security Council, includes a provision lifting the arms embargo on Iran on October 18.

Rouhani lambasts the revised draft, saying its “initiators will be responsible for the consequences” if the Security Council adopts the new resolution. He doesn’t elaborate on what steps Iran could take.

Zarif saya the US draft is a “very illegal resolution, and in fact it uses the Security Council mechanisms to destroy the Security Council. “

“I’m confident that this resolution will be rejected too,” Zarif stated.

— AP