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US Presses for Extension of UN Arms Embargo on Iran

Margaret Besheer

   NEW YORK - The United States is pressing ahead with plans to push for
   the extension of a U.N. arms embargo against Iran that is due to expire
   in two months under the 2015 nuclear deal, but it is likely to face
   stiff opposition from other nations, including Russia and China.

   "We have an objective to extend the arms embargo," U.S. Special Envoy
   for Iran Brian Hook told reporters in a phone briefing Thursday. "That
   can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way, but it's
   going to be extended."

   Council diplomats said the U.S. might push for a vote on its draft
   resolution seeking the extension early next week, but it may not have
   the necessary nine votes to pass it or to force Russia and China to
   veto.

   Washington's case for extending the ban on conventional weapons is one
   of national security, arguing that Iran is a bad actor that perpetuates
   conflict and spreads terrorism, often through its proxies in the Middle
   East and beyond.

   "It [the arms embargo] has been in place for 13 years. Iran has still
   been able to move a lot of weapons around the Middle East to its
   proxies in the gray zone," Hook said. "If this is what Iran has been
   able to accomplish in the dark, imagine what they will be able to
   accomplish in broad daylight."

   Warning from Hook

   Hook, who announced Thursday that he was stepping down after a two-year
   tenure, warned that an Iran unshackled from restrictions would lead to
   further regional destabilization, intensified conflicts and a regional
   arms race.

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