China Opposed To US-Proposed Extension Of UN's Iranian Arms Embargo - Foreign Ministry

Sumaira FH Published August 06, 2020 | 04:44 PM

China does not support the US-proposed initiative that the UN Security Council (UNSC) extends the international ban on arms sales to Iran beyond the October deadline, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th August, 2020) China does not support the US-proposed initiative that the UN Security Council (UNSC) extends the international ban on arms sales to Iran beyond the October deadline, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said that the United States prepared a draft resolution on the Iranian arms embargo extension to submit to the UN Security Council for a review next week.

"We disagree with that the US is pushing for the extension of the Iranian arms embargo in the UN Security Council. All requirements under UNSC Resolution 2231 [on the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue], including the arms embargo provisions, have been fully implemented," Wang said at a briefing.

�The spokesman said China would continue the joint international effort of protecting the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Washington first announced plans to seek an extension to the arms embargo in May. Back then, Pompeo said the United States would do what it takes to make sure that Iran cannot buy or sell conventional weapons after the UN embargo expires on October 18 this coming fall.

�The nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, stipulating the removal of international sanctions from Tehran in exchange for it scaling down its nuclear program. The JCPOA was then enshrined in UNSC Resolution 2231.

The deal turned short-lived as the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran to which the latter responded by gradually abandoning its own commitments and completely withdrawing too a year later. However, the rest of the signatories are still bound by the JCPOA's provisions, including the arms embargo and its deadline.