WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) – U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said, the United States would present a resolution in the United Nations Security Council next week, to extend an international arms embargo on Iran, despite lukewarm support for the bid.
“We’re not going to let the arms embargo expire on Oct 18 of this year,” Pompeo said, at a press briefing.
He also threatened to trigger the snap-back mechanism in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, to reimpose UN sanctions against Tehran.
Despite his threats, the United States appears to be isolated on the issue. Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said in late June that, the United States is no longer a participant of the Iran nuclear deal, thus has no right to trigger the snap-back mechanism.
Foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany, also noted in June that they would not support any unilateral attempt to trigger UN sanctions snap-back.
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said last month that any attempts to extend the arms embargo against Iran, indefinitely, are illegitimate.
Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the arms embargo will be lifted this Oct. Tehran said it would not accept a renewal of the embargo.
