President Hassan Rouhani has lauded Iranians’ years-long struggle against the United States, as the UN’s ten-year arms embargo is expected to end on October 18, despite Washington’s efforts to reimpose sanctions.
Iran will be soon able to buy and sell arms to whoever it desires, Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, after the United Nations’ arms embargo on the country will expire.
“Next Sunday, we will announce this good news to the nation that 10 years of the cruel arms embargo is removed,” president said. The resistance of Iranian people yielded results, he noted, adding that Washington had made every effort to impede the lifting of sanctions.
Describing the end of embargo as one of the achievements of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, the president said it was also the result of efforts made by Iran’s diplomats.
Under the JCPOA, the UN arms embargo on Iran expires on October 18, in line with UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2231. The US withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 but also tried to prevent the lifting of the UN arms embargo. Washington’s move, however, was denounced by the UNSC.
Iran now expects the remaining signatories to the nuclear deal – Russia, France, China, Britain and Germany – to formally declare that the UN arms embargo will come to an end on October 18.
“Countries which are parties to the JCPOA must formally announce the lifting of arms restrictions, in accordance with the JCPOA, and let the world know that the Islamic Republic of Iran is allowed to buy and sell arms,” Mojtaba Zolnouri, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, was quoted as saying by the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA).
The US has used everything in its power to prevent the lifting of the UN arms embargo, but failed, Zolnouri said. “This can be considered as a failure for the US and a victory for Iran,” the lawmaker added.
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