Iran celebrates ‘momentous day’ as UN arms embargo lifts. Here’s what it means

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran is now free to buy a range of previously restricted weapons, its government announced Sunday, hailing a “momentous day” as a 13-year-old U.N. arms embargo on the country was lifted as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — and against vociferous opposition from Washington.

The government in Tehran insists that any weapons purchases would be “based on its defensive needs,” as allowed under the multilateral deal, from which the Trump administration withdrew in 2018. 

“A momentous day for the international community, which — in defiance of malign US efforts—has protected UNSC Res. 2231 and JCPOA,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted on Sunday, referring to the 2015 agreement.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday that “as of today, the Islamic Republic of Iran may procure any necessary arms and equipment from any source without any legal restrictions and solely based on its defensive needs.”

Opponents of the embargo’s lifting don’t believe weapons buys will be solely defensive. They also take issue with another part of Iran’s newfound freedom: it can now “export defensive armaments based on its own policies,” in the words of Iran’s Foreign Ministry. 

That could mean selling weapons to its proxies, analysts say, including militant and political group Hezbollah, designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.

“The legitimate concern when it comes to the lifting of the embargo is that Iran will be more capable of accessing weapons from states such as Russia and China, or selling weapons to non-state actors,” Aniseh Tabrizi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told CNBC. “This is a concern that even countries that oppose the U.S. position have.”

Washington has already threatened to slap sanctions on any individual or entity supporting Iran’s weapons program.  

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/19/iran-un-arms-embargo-lift-arms-upgrades-likely.html