VIENNA (Reuters) – The United States will do its best to renew the foreign arms embargo that opposes Iran’s review at the United Nations, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday.
The United Nations Security Council has begun voting on a U.S. offer to renew the embargo, which expires in mid-October. Russia and China, veto powers, oppose and effects are expected within a few hours.
Visiting Austria as a component of an excursion to Central Europe, Pompeo said That Iran will also have to cooperate fully and without delay with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear control agency, with which it met in Vienna.
“There is no point in allowing the world’s largest terrorist sponsor to buy and sell weapons systems,” Pompeo said at a press conference. “I mean, it’s crazy.”
Iran denies terrorism.
Pompeo said Washington “would do everything possible as a component of our diplomatic team so that the arms embargo does not expire.”
“The vote will take place in the next few hours and we hope we will succeed. When we look at the results, we’ll do the resolution on how to move forward.
“We have been unequivocal that we do not aim to allow this arms embargo to expire. Not at all.”
The embargo is expected to end in mid-October from the 2015 Tehran nuclear deal with global powers, which U.S. President Donald Trump’s leadership abandoned in 2018.
IAEA leader Rafael Grossi, whose firm monitors Iran’s nuclear deal with primary powers, told reporters after the Pompeo assembly that talks with Tehran at all sites continue.
“We have asked Iran to grant access. That’s still happened. We’re working on that,” he said.
“Our purpose is to have to continue with the verification paintings that are essential for the foreign community.”
(Reporting through Kirsti Knolle, written through John Revill; edited through Michael Shields)
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