Pompeo: US to Submit Iran Arms Embargo at UN Next Week

Demands security council extend embargo

Forever talking about the Iran arms embargo, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the US will be pushing a vote at the UN Security Council next week to extend the embargo, which is scheduled to expire in November.

Pompeo has demanded it be unconditionally extended, saying that the UN Security Council is obliged to extend it in the name of security, to prevent Iran from buying whatever weapons it wants. The vote will almost certainly fail, with at least Russia and likely China vetoing it.

The embargo was always meant to be a temporary part of the nuclear deal, allowed to expire after a time. Iran is interested in buying defensive arms, particularly from Russia. Russia is inclined to sell to them, particularly with the US and Israel threatening Iran so often.

Pompeo has suggested that the US has ways to force the embargo’s extension if they don’t get their way. He is not clear what it is, but has expressed confidence that it will work.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.