TEHRAN (Iran News) – Russian senior diplomat mocked the US for the Dominican Republic’s only affirmative vote on the draft resolution on the extension of Iran arms embargo, saying sarcastically that it is apparently a major actor in the Persian Gulf.
In a Tuesday tweet, Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov wrote, “Some people try to present the expiration of arms trade restrictions (de-jure and de-facto not what we used to call arms embargo) with regard to Iran on 18 October as somewhat as a catastrophe.”
“In fact, it will simply mean the implementation of one of the provisions of 2231 UNSC res,” he stressed.
In reaction to Rep. Mike Gallagher’s remarks on accusing China and Russia of failure to approve the resolution on extending Iran’s arms embargo, he wrote, “You forgot that it is not about Russia and China only. In order to get US draft resolution approved Washington needed at least 9 votes in favor.”
“It got just one – the Dominican Republic who apparently is a major factor in the Persian Gulf. Don’t you think that something is wrong with the US?” he added.
Earlier, Ulyanov called the US attempt to extend arms embargo unjustifiable, saying it was in violation of UNSC Resolution 2231.
The UN Security Council rejected a US bid to extend an arms embargo on Iran on Friday, which is due to expire in October.
Besides the United States, only the Dominican Republic voted in favor of the draft. China and Russia voted against the text, and the remaining 11 Security Council members, including the European allies of the United States, abstained.
The United States has become isolated over Iran at the Security Council following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal 2018.
Iran had said that the US resolution would fail to gain the required support at the Security Council, pointing out that Washington has no legal right to invoke a snapback mechanism to reinstate sanctions against Tehran under the 2015 nuclear deal that the US unilaterally left in May 2018.
The US has stepped up attempts aimed at extending the UN arms ban on Iran that is set to expire as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has been endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2231.
- source : MNA, Irannews