UNSC Rejects US Resolution to Extend Iranian Arms Embargo

The United Nations Security Council on Aug. 14 rejected a U.S. resolution to extend the Iranian arms embargo, raising the possibility of the U.S. invoking snapback sanctions under the Iran nuclear deal. Only the U.S. and the Dominican Republic voted in favor. Russia and China voted against; 11 members abstained, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom. All three previously said they would support an extension of the arms embargo (see 2006220020), which is scheduled to expire in October.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the UNSC “rejected a reasonable resolution,” saying the move could lead to Iran's buying and selling weapons without UN restrictions. “The Security Council’s failure to act decisively in defense of international peace and security is inexcusable,” he said. Pompeo and other State Department officials have threatened to invoke snapback sanctions against Iran if the arms embargo is not extended, although European Union officials have questioned whether the U.S., which withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, has the authority to invoke sanctions under the agreement (see 2007010030 and 2006090047).

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the “vast majority” of UNSC members oppose the U.S.’s “wrong approach” and want to maintain the JCPOA without an added arms embargo. “We urge the U.S. to abandon unilateralism at an early date, stop unilateral sanctions and ‘long-arm jurisdiction,’ adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude, and return to the right track of complying with the” JCPOA, the spokesperson said during an Aug. 17 news conference, according to an unofficial translation.