Alwaght- Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations hails the end of a “baseless, unjust, and unlawful” arms embargo against the Islamic Republic that has just expired, Press TV reported.
In line with a historic 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the UN Security Council (UNSC)’s embargo on trade in conventional weapons with the Islamic Republic ended on Sunday. The nuclear accord had been endorsed by the Security Council in the form of Resolution 2231.
In a press release issued upon expiration of the embargo, the diplomatic mission said, “States are no longer required to seek in advance case-by-case approval by the Security Council to engage in the supply, sale or transfer of arms or related materials to and from Iran.”
“It should be emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always maintained that all sanctions and restrictive measures introduced and applied against the people of Iran have been baseless, unjust, and unlawful,” the statement noted.
The development came in spite of months-long attempts by the United States to keep the arms embargo in place.
In June, the US circulated a draft resolution among the Security Council’s 15-strong membership, urging prevention of the embargo’s expiration. Only the Dominican Republic voted in favor of the draft that was voted against by China and Russia and abstained by the rest of the UNSC’s members.
The US campaign was in contravention of the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 as Washington had left the nuclear accord in 2018, thus losing all of its rights as a signatory.
Iran’s mission reminded likewise how Washington’s drive had hit a dead end as the Security Council rejected its “illegal” move.
“As a responsible member of the international community, the Islamic Republic of Iran engages in legitimate trade—in accordance with international law and on the basis of its national interests—with other countries, including in the realm of arms trade,” the press release concluded.
The US also fell far short of a consensus in a subsequent push to restore all UN sanctions against Iran. Tehran has described the dual failures as historic defeats for Washington.
