The United States has been circulating a resolution with U.N. Security Council members that would extend the U.N. arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, reported Bloomberg on Monday, citing diplomats and the text of the draft received by the news outlet.
It calls on all countries “to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer” of weapons to and from Iran unless, as reported by Bloomberg, “a Security Council committee approves it at least 30 days in advance on a case-by-case basis.”
Negotiations on the resolution are expected to begin on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg, citing diplomats.
China and Russia, two permanent-veto members of the Security Council, have already said they will not approve such a resolution to extend the embargo, which was enacted in 2010 and is set to sunset in October in accordance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The United States withdrew from the deal in May 2018, reimposing sanctions lifted under it, along with enacting other penalties on the regime as part of what the Trump administration has called a “maximum pressure” campaign.
The 2015 accord allows for America to enact veto-proof snapback sanctions on Iran in the U.N. Security Council. The snapback sanctions include extending the arms embargo on Iran permanently—a move the Trump administration has said it would take if the resolution solely to extend the arms embargo fails.
The Russians have already stated their intention of resuming the trade of arms to the Islamic regime.
