Gulf states ask UN to extend arms embargo on Iran
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sent a letter to the UN Security Council amid US efforts to extend the weapons ban.
Several Gulf countries asked the United Nations to extend an arms embargo against Iran on Sunday.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sent a letter to the UN Security Council saying that Iran has not stopped its military activities under the embargo.
“Iran has continued to proliferate conventional weapons and arm terrorist and sectarian organizations and movements throughout the region,” the council said in a statement.
UN Security Council Resolution 2231 prohibits weapons transfers to and from Iran. It expires in October, and the end date is part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that former US President Barack Obama negotiated with the Islamic Republic. In 2018, the United States withdrew from the deal and US President Donald Trump reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran as part of his “maximum pressure” strategy. The United States asserts that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies. The United States, Gulf states and Israel also oppose Iranian military support of its allies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
