UN arms embargo on Iran expires

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed Sunday’s expiration of the decade-long ban as a “win” for peace and security in the region. The United Nations stopped Iran from buying foreign weapons in 2010 as international concern grew over its nuclear program. The United States failed to get the United Nations Security Council to reinstate sanctions on Iran in August after withdrawing from the nuclear deal between Iran and other world powers back in 2018.

How will the expired embargo affect Iran? The lifted restraint will allow Iran to purchase weapons and sell its defense products abroad. But several U.S. sanctions on Iran’s economy remain in place. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday warned the United States would sanction any individual or entity that assists Iran’s weapons program. Iran’s Foreign Ministry in a statement insisted the country’s defense is self-reliant and doesn’t need a “buying spree.”

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Mindy Belz’s analysis of Iran’s nuclear program.