Can Washington Block Russian Arms Sales to Israel’s Archenemy Iran?
Iran is looking to stock up on the latest weapons to threaten Israel and the U.S. as the UN arms embargo against the Islamic Republic expires this month.
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
After the United Nations Security Council failed to renew the international arms embargo on Iran, Russia’s Ambassador to Tehran said Vladimir Putin’s government is ready to sell the ayatollahs the advanced Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, Iran’s FARS news agency reported on the weekend.
“We have said since the very first day that there will be no problem selling weapons to Iran from October 19,” Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan said, as the embargo is set to expire on October 18.
Dzhagaryan dismissed American threats and said Russia was set to go ahead with the sale.
“As you know, we have provided Iran with the S-300. Russia does not have any problem to deliver the S-400 to Iran and it did not have any problem before either,” Dzhagaryan said.
The U.S. attempted in August to get the UN Security Council to renew or extend the arms embargo against Iran. The six Arab members of the Gulf Cooperation Council also issued a joint statement that supported the extension of the embargo. The Gulf countries, two of whom recently established diplomatic relations with Israel, know that Iran not only threatens Israel and the U.S. with “death,” but has also threatened all of the Gulf countries with terrorism and military action.
“Countries in the Middle East from the Gulf to Israel support extending the arms embargo. It is deeply important to every one of them. Arabs and Israelis are speaking with one voice and the Security Council must listen,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted before the Security Council vote.
However, both Russia and China are members of the Security Council and both have said they want to sell more weapons to the rogue regime in Tehran. The Security Council voted against renewing the embargo.
After the vote, the Trump administration announced the “snapback” of sanctions against Iran, but Russian and China appear undeterred by the action.
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