US envoy demands UN to renew arms embargo on Iran

CAIRO – 17 October 2019: US special envoy to Iran Brian Hook told a congressional hearing on US-Iran policy on Wednesday that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) must renew the Iranian arms embargo.

Under the Iran nuclear deal, which the US pulled out of last year, a UN ban on weapons sales to Tehran will end in October 2020.

“Countries like Russia and China will be able to sell conventional weapons to Iran,” Hook said. “The Iranian regime will also be free to sell weapons to anyone.

“The moment Iran is allowed to buy advanced drones, missiles, tanks, and jets, it will do so. This will be a win for its proxies across the region, who will use such arms to then attack other nations on Iran’s behalf.”

“Iran continues to threaten its neighbors with ballistic missiles, conducts criminal maritime activity in international waters, continues to unlawfully hold American citizens, and fuels dangerous proxy conflicts in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon,” he told the hearing.

“It is my assessment that the maximum pressure campaign against Iran is working and can serve as the bridge to more meaningful negotiations,” Risch said.

The hearing heard that since May of last year, over 30 rounds of sanctions have denied the regime of more than $25 billion in oil revenue.

United States, according to Hook, is seeking a comprehensive deal to address the threats that Iran presents to international peace and security “including their nuclear and missile programs and its support to terror groups and proxies.”