With expiration of UN embargo, Iran makes pitch for arms sales
The UN embargo on Iranian arms sales expired Sunday, and Iranian officials are ready to export weapons.
Iranian officials and analysts say that with the expiration of the arms embargo, they are now ready to sell weapons to other countries.
Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami gave an interview to Iranian television outlining the country’s plan now that the UN arms embargo — which was part of the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — has expired. Hatami said numerous officials from various countries have visited Iran and are “surprised” by the progress the country has made in regards to their weapons industry despite sanctions.
Hatami said they have tanks, cannons and mortars available for sale. He also talked about the advances the country has made with drones and missiles. “We will sell to countries that do not misuse these weapons against others and only seek legitimate defense,” he said. “We are not like America, which threw Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at the people of Yemen just to sell weapons.”
The United States has opposed the expiration of the arms embargo on Iran. As one of the original members of the JCPOA, the United States exited the deal in May 2018 and tried unsuccessfully to extend the United Nations ban indefinitely. Given that as part of its exit the United States reapplied sanctions on the country and that Iran’s economy is struggling, the Hassan Rouhani administration has attempted to highlight the expiration of the embargo as a major achievement.
