“Don’t let the brevity of the new U.S. draft fool you. The key point is that it authorizes an indefinite extension of the Iran arms embargo ... and China and Russia will *not* like that,” Richard Gowan posted on Twitter. “So good chance this U.S. draft will fail by Friday,” he added.
The remark comes as Washington has on Tuesday given UNSC members a new draft resolution to win their support for extending Iran arms embargo following the failure of the previous draft.
According to Reuters, the new draft is “unlikely to overcome opposition by veto-powers Russia and China.”
The new draft has just four paragraphs and proposes extending arms embargo on Iran “until the Security Council decides otherwise,” claiming that the measure is “essential to the maintenance of international peace and security.”
The arms ban is due to expire in October based on the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“The United States has asked council members for comments by Wednesday morning. The council is operating virtually so once a vote is called, members would have 24 hours to submit their response. The result would be announced at a public meeting,” according to Reuters.
Reacting to the new draft, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi said that the UNSC will reject the motion again. "Rebuffed by UNSC members, US was forced to retreat from its draft resolution on Iran arms embargo, and proposed another version—also violating 2231—today. The new draft is similar—in its NATURE and GOAL—to the previous. Confident that the Council will—again—reject this move," he tweeted.
MAH/PR
Your Comment