No fresh embargo, Iran FM against US bid to extend UN arms embargo

Tehran: While the United States has been making a fresh attempt to impost an arms embargo again Iran, the latter's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed the move.

Zarif tweeted on Thursday "Nothing new happens" in the coming days as "the US is not a participant" in the Iranian nuclear deal, internationally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US under President Donald Trump had pulled out of the deal with Iran in 2018, which was earlier signed by the Barack Obama administration in 2015.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the JCPOA in 2015, the arms embargo against Iran will expire on Oct 18.

Zarif's remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington "will return to the United Nations to reimpose sanctions so that the arms embargo will become permanent next week", Xinhua news agency reported.

The Trump administration has sought to invoke the snapback mechanism to restore all pre-2015 UN sanctions against Iran after its failed attempt in the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo against Iran.

(With input from IANS)