Published 11:50 IST, October 19th 2020
US warns of sanctions against sales of weapons to Iran after UN embargo expires
The United States on Sunday said that all UN sanctions on Iran returned on September 19, including the re-imposition of the arms embargo.
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The United States on Sunday said that all UN sanctions on Iran returned on September 19, including the re-imposition of the arms embargo. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that any export or procurement of certain conventional arms to or from Iran would be in violation of UNSC resolutions. This came after Tehran hailed the lifting of sanctions as a "momentous day" and claimed that they were once again free to buy and sell weapons.
No nation that desires a peaceful Middle East should contemplate arms sales with Iran - every weapon the regime buys will be at the disposal of its radical ideology. We are prepared to use domestic authorities to sanction individuals or entities contributing to these arms sales.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 18, 2020
"The United States is prepared to use its domestic authorities to sanction any individual or entity that materially contributes to the supply, sale, or transfer of conventional arms to or from Iran, as well as those who provide technical training, financial support and services, and other assistance related to these arms. Any nation that sells weapons to Iran is impoverishing the Iranian people by enabling the regime’s diversion of funds away from the people and toward the regime’s military aims," Pompeo said in a statement on Sunday.
Arms embargo expires
The arms embargo on Iran was lifted on October 18 in accordance with the nuclear deal signed in 2015, of which the United States was a party until 2018. The nuclear deal signed between Iran, the US, and other major powers in the world, set out a timetable for the lifting of the 13-year-old sanctions. The Trump administration had unilaterally withdrawn from the deal in 2018 but used a clause from the very same agreement to re-impose virtually all UN sanctions on Iran in August this year after losing a UNSC vote for the extension of the arms embargo.
Iran has so far depended on smuggling and its own weapons industry to supply its military with arms. Even though the embargo has been lifted, Iran is highly unlikely to buy arms from the international market because of its current financial state and other nations' hesitation to trade with the Islamic Republic fearing sanctions from the US.
11:51 IST, October 19th 2020