US Revises Iran Arms Embargo Plan, Hopes to Avoid Vetoes

The Trump Administration has offered a substantially revised draft on a call for the UN to extend the Iran arms embargo. The new draft is substantially different from the June version, which was 35 paragraphs, and is now down to four.

The goal seems to be to limit debate and avoid vetoes from Russia and China by removing as much as possible. A veto is still a foregone conclusion, with Russia planning sales as soon as the embargo expires.

Removed from this latest draft was a lot of extraneous language that entitled nations to search Iranian cargo just in case, and several provisions condemning Iran for various US grievances over the past year.

Iran has been prohibited from buying defensive weapons systems since 2010, and a number of those systems are expected to be Russian-made, with Russian air defenses a priority as US and Israeli threats continue apace.